Providence
by heystrippah
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world crawling with the supernatural, Caroline Forbes has spent her entire life trying to understand who and what she really is. If she could survive a certain original hybrid, she may live long enough to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**New story! Breaking out of my all-human shell but keeping it very much in the alternate universe, so bear with me. Extra, super, lots of thanks to my two betas Juliete (geekorunique) and Katie (hybridlovelies). **

* * *

_Seven days, eleven hours, twenty-two minutes and forty-six seconds. When the world went dark, that's how long it lasted. Seven days, eleven hours, twenty-two minutes and forty-six seconds of pitch black and when the lights came back on, the world wasn't the same._

_Blood-sucking creatures crawled from the Earth and men burst into beasts. Every long forgotten creature that had been put to bed centuries before awoke during the darkness. Every supernatural being, gone for so long they were thought to be myth or legend, sprouted into existence again._

_And chaos reigned._

_Forty years after The Lapse, this is the new world. Chaos is the new norm._

* * *

Glide. Thrust. Parry. Side-step. Traverse. Lunge. Glide.

Caroline Forbes was lost in her own head as she spun around, sword in hand, attacking imaginary enemies.

Cut. Parry. Thrust. Side-step.

The motions came naturally to Caroline, the sword practically an extra limb - one she'd been familiar with since she was tall enough to hold the long, steel blade. Still in her own head, Caroline spun around swinging the sword and stopped just short of dismembering her mother.

"Jesus mom," She dropped the sword with a clatter to the floor. "Don't sneak up on me when I'm working out."

Liz Forbes laughed at the term 'working out'. For most people that meant running or lifting weights, maybe even yoga. For Caroline that meant practicing killing techniques with a sharpened blade. Not that Liz frowned upon Caroline's choice of pastime. In fact she even encouraged it. In their line of work, not to mention in the world they lived in, Caroline's particular set of skills were valuable. Liz and her daughter ran a bounty hunting business that consisted of just the two of them. A two man, mother-daughter tracking team. If you needed someone hunted down or found then the Forbes could get it done and in this world business was always booming.

Liz bent over and picked up Caroline's sword, handing it back to her hilt first. Striding over to the wall, she pulled another sword off the metal shelf before turning and walking back to Caroline.

"Do you want some real opposition?" Liz asked with a teasing smirk.

Caroline cocked her head and arched an eyebrow before slowly lifting her sword, touching the tip to the one her mother held out.

A split second later the two were flying, dancing around the open space of their office. Once her sword was moving, Caroline slipped back into her fighter's headspace. The sound of the swords clashing against each other was like a melody to her. She knew her mother preferred guns to swords. Liz could hit a target from a mile away in one shot whereas Caroline counted herself lucky if she hit her target at all. Her mom had tried valiantly to train Caroline with a gun but it had never quite taken. She would always prefer a sword. A gun meant having to line up your target and eventually have to pause to reload. It was loud and, in her case, inaccurate. But a sword was just another extension of Caroline. She could fight steadily, not having to pause to reload and hitting her target every single time. She never ran out of breath or felt the slightest bit tired.

So it was no surprise that after a few moments Liz found herself on the ground, Caroline's sword at her throat. She had known the outcome before she even picked up the sword. Liz hadn't beaten her daughter in a sword fight since Caroline had turned 14. Her daughter was different – always had been.

Liz wasn't the first human to give birth to a non-human child. After the Lapse lots of families found themselves dealing with ancient blood they had never known was running through their veins. Witches, nymphs, banshees and all the like had been born into human families. In some cases the blood was strong enough to awaken in an entire family. But in most cases, one or two members found themselves not quite human in a human family. Procreation (and occasionally inter-species breeding) meant that the population of these magical beings kept growing fast in the decades following the Lapse, though nowhere near as fast as the vampires and werewolves that went around turning people to increase their numbers.

So Liz wasn't the first human to give birth to a non-human child but she was the first to give birth to a Valkyrie. The day Caroline had been born Liz knew her daughter was different. She knew this because Caroline was only a few hours old when four women showed up to take her away. Valkyrie women claiming Caroline, her little 6 pound Caroline, was one of them and belonged with their clan. Miraculously (and with the help of some unseen force) Liz managed to escape with her daughter and the two had been running and hiding ever since.

The sound of Caroline's laughter snapped Liz from her daze. Lowering her sword, Caroline reached a hand down to help her mother up. Liz was barely on her feet when the bell above the door chimed. She turned and Caroline looked over her mother's shoulder at the brunette that walked into the small shop. She looked about Caroline's age and her wide brown eyes frantically scanned the room.

"I need your help." The girl said when her eyes landed on Liz and Caroline.

"People usually do." Liz spoke lightly as she strode forward to the girl. "What's your name?" She asked calmly, hoping her cool demeanor would rub off on the clearly distressed girl.

"Elena." The girl said, walking forward to meet Liz halfway. "I need to find my brother." Elena clutched a tattered picture in her hand, holding it out to Liz.

"When and where did you last see him?" Liz asked, all business now as she took the picture and stared down at the teenage boy.

Elena shifted back and forth on her feet nervously, carefully trying to craft her next words.

Liz cocked an eyebrow, staring Elena down. "Do you really need him found because it looks to me like you already know where he is." She pointed out, taking in Elena's skittish behavior.

Elena bit down on her lip before speaking again, in a lower voice. "Some vampires grabbed him. I think they took him to The Cathedral."

Liz's face tightened at her words. The Cathedral was a fortress and home to the original vampires. Amidst years of bloodshed, they had risen to the top and the original family had steadily gained power ever since. The Cathedral (and the irony of the name wasn't lost on anyone) was their seat of power at the edge of the city and the place was tantamount to vampire headquarters. No one entered uninvited and they certainly didn't leave before they were given permission to do so. She shook her head, shoving the picture back at Elena. "Sorry we can't help you."

"Mom!" Caroline called out incredulously, speaking for the first time since Elena had shown up.

Liz looked over her shoulder at her daughter. "Caroline, if vampires took the boy there's an 80% chance he's already beyond our reach." She turned again to face Elena, her features softening the slightest bit. "We can't help you." With that Liz turned and strode back across the room, throwing Caroline a look before disappearing into the back office.

Elena barely held herself up. This had been her last ditch effort, hoping someone with the skills of a bounty hunter would be able to help her get Jeremy back.

Seeing the dejected look on her face, Caroline strode forward to Elena before the girl could turn to leave.

"Hey." She said, putting a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder.

Taking another desperate shot, Elena shoved the picture into Caroline's hand. "His name is Jeremy and he's not even eighteen yet."

Caroline took the picture but she'd barely taken in the image of the boy before a shiver raced down her spine. It was like a cold chill had seeped into her bones. Caroline was familiar with the feeling and it wasn't good. She didn't know a lot about herself or what exactly being a Valkyrie meant but this wasn't the first time she'd sensed imminent death. Similar to (but not entirely like) a banshee who sensed death in all forms, Caroline could sense the death of a warrior. With all the various species constantly fighting for power or territory, death was everywhere.

The first time it happened, Caroline had been walking through town to get supplies. A skirmish was going on between two werewolves and a group of hunters. Her eyes immediately landed on one hunter in particular, a tall, broad man with sandy blonde hair. That shiver had raced down Caroline's spine and a moment later a werewolf tore out the man's jugular. Frozen in place, Caroline watched the man fall and a moment later his ghost stood where his body had just been. She caught the spirit's eye for just a moment before turning on her heel and running.

Since then Caroline had encountered the feeling a few times, brushing past a person or seeing them from across the room. Death didn't always follow immediately. Sometimes it was ten minutes, sometimes it was a week. All Caroline knew was that the feeling was never good.

And she was having that feeling now.

Caroline took in Elena's frantic appearance while she put together the pieces in her head. If Caroline sensed his impending death then Jeremy had to be a warrior of some sort and if he was a warrior that ended up in the clutches of the vampire sect, Jeremy had to be a member of the Human Coalition, a group of humans dedicated to the eradication of supes of all kinds, particularly the vampires - who held the seat of power right now. Caroline wasn't exactly surprised that Elena had neglected to mention that bit of information. It was a lot easier to convince someone to help you when you were looking for your innocent, kidnapped little brother then it was if you explained that said little brother was a trained fighter for the most prominent group of hunters who had gotten caught in the line of duty.

Before Caroline could say anything (though not sure what she would say anyway) Elena was speaking again.

"Our parents are dead. He's all I have left." Elena said, seeing the compassion in Caroline's eyes and pleading her case.

"Wait here." Caroline said before spinning on her heel, the tattered picture still in hand.

She strode, head high, into the back office and stood in front of the desk where her mother sat.

"We need to help her." Caroline said, her voice firm.

"No we don't." Liz replied without looking up from the inventory list she was reading. They needed to go on a supply run soon.

"Mom," Caroline sucked in a deep breath, knowing how her mom would take the next thing she was going to say, "he's going to die."

Liz jerked her head up to stare at her daughter, standing and leaning across the desk to lock eyes with her. "Caroline you know what I told you about using your magic." The way she said magic was rife with disgust. Liz held a deep aversion for all things supernatural.

"It's not like I can help it." Caroline exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We're supposed to be keeping a low profile." Liz bit out, barely swallowing her anger.

She propped her hands on the desk and leaned closer to her mother. "We still have to help him."

"Caroline, if they've got him he may as well already be dead. We don't pick a fight with the vampires, especially not those vampires. It's suicide."

"Mom –" Caroline began to argue but Liz cut her off.

"We aren't talking about this anymore." She said, her voice indicating the finality of the conversation. It wasn't up for discussion.

Caroline narrowed her eyes before standing straight again and storming out of the room.

Elena stood in the same spot, her arms wrapped tightly around herself while she bounced restlessly in place. Caroline came to a stop in front of her again, handing the picture back.

"So?" She asked, the hope clear in her voice.

"I'll find him and I'll bring him back." Caroline said, shoving aside the image of her mother's stern face.

Elena's eyes filled with relief before quickly shifting to steely determination. "I'm coming with you."

Caroline looked her up and down quickly. More likely than not, Elena would be deadweight slowing her down but she didn't have the heart to tell her that. Her brother was all the family she had and Caroline knew if someone took her mom, she'd demand to tag along as well.

So instead of telling her no, Caroline said "meet me back here at dawn. Don't come in, just wait for me outside."

Elena nodded and turned to leave the office before Caroline could change her mind.

That night Caroline lay awake in her bed. She and her mother lived in a small but homey apartment above the office. Across the hall, her mother had long since gone to bed but sleep eluded Caroline.

Instead, like most nights, Caroline thought about who she was. Valkyrie. It could have meant alien for all she really knew. All her life, Caroline's mom had made it very clear that she didn't like or want anything to do with supernatural creatures – ironic considering her daughter was one. Still, whenever she had the chance, Caroline tried to do sleuth-like research about who she really was. Sneaking peaks at old books in small shops, late night visits to the crazy old oracle who knew everything but only spoke in cryptic riddles. And still, Caroline knew next to nothing.

Reminding herself of the journey she'd be embarking on tomorrow, Caroline forced herself to shut off her mind and go to sleep.

* * *

With his hands in his pockets Klaus Mikaelson stood, eerily still, as he gazed out the large floor to ceiling window. Laid out before him New Orleans was bursting at the seams, alive with a buzzing nightlife. The Cathedral sat at the edge of the city and from his vantage point on the third floor hallway Klaus could see the city stretch out for miles. If he paced to the opposite end of the long hall and looked out that window the view would be startlingly different – a lush, deceptively quiet forest.

And all of it, both the city and the forest, was his. Or rather, it all belonged to the original family.

It hadn't exactly been easy. Forty years ago, after the Lapse, the world descended into complete chaos. The humans weren't just at war with each other, they were at war with species they had entirely forgotten existed - species they had long since relegated to myths and bedtime stories. Post-Lapse it was impossible to deny that these supernatural beings were very much real and not just the products of old lores. Still, in their feeble minded stupor, that's how the humans referred to them all - lores or lorefolk. Werewolves and witches and vampires, all fighting not only for their survival but for power. It was this constant grasp for power that prompted the lores to break into the five factions not too long after the Lapse. The vampires and the werewolves remained the two largest factions, sprouting up in incredible numbers in the years following the Lapse. Then there was the mages faction - dominated mostly by witches but also encompassing oracles, warlocks and seers. The mages, though undeniably powerful, didn't have the sheer numbers of the fae faction. Sirens and shifters and everything in between - the fae faction was divided into light and dark sects, each fae having to make the choice once they came into their powers. Finally there were the demons: they were more like animals – beasts that took no humanoid form and were thereby treated more like pets than like foes in the eyes of the other lores.

In those early years, the factions fought endlessly and tirelessly. From this chaos the original family rose, though not without losses. They lost their brother Finn in the first few years post-Lapse and it came as a shock to them all that there was even a weapon that could end their immortal lives. Impervious to stakes that could kill a normal vampire, it'd been a surprise to find that a stake carved from the rare white oak tree was fatal to the original family. It was an even greater shock that the humans had somehow happened upon this weakness before the family had even learned of it. Klaus had never quite forgiven Finn for leaving them, for not fighting harder, for letting a group of eager humans capture him. He had always known Finn hated what they were but he had still always expected his brother to fight for his eternal life.

On the other hand, their brother Kol went down fighting. Only a few years ago he'd led an attack against one of the larger packs of werewolves for territory. Having burned down the white oak tree, they'd all assumed there wasn't a stake left in the world that could kill them. They were wrong. They'd secured New Orleans but they lost Kol.

Now Klaus and his two remaining siblings, Elijah and Rebekah, sat on the proverbial throne. This is how he came to be standing here, surveying their territory.

Remembering what he'd meant to do before he ended up standing there, Klaus turned on his heel and strode down the hall. He came to an oak door but didn't knock before swinging it open and walking in. A girl knelt in the middle of the room, jars of herbs surrounding her as she picked through each one.

"Bonnie." Klaus said but the girl didn't even look up.

"Klaus." She replied, mimicking his tone, still without glancing up at him.

"You know why I'm here." He spoke while inching slowly across the room and closer to Bonnie.

"And you know there's nothing else I can do." She replied, still sorting her herbs.

Klaus growled but didn't say anything. He and his siblings treated Bonnie like family because their brother Kol had loved her once but right now, Klaus wanted to snap her neck. A few days ago Bonnie had nonchalantly let Klaus in on some sort of vision she had. She threw around words like 'peril', 'kindred soul' and 'the end' but shrugged when Klaus demanded to know more. Since then, he made it a point to ask her daily.

"I need answers, Bonnie." He growled, his voice low.

The witch wasn't intimidated by his tone. "And I don't have any, Klaus."

"Then do whatever it is you do to bring on the visions and get me answers."

"It doesn't work that way." Bonnie said shaking her head and finally looking up at him.

Before Klaus could respond, she was speaking again. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" She said, glancing at the wall clock and back at him.

"We're not done here, little witch." Klaus said, even as he retreated to the door.

"Of course not." Bonnie rolled her eyes and muttered beneath her breath before turning back to her herbs.

Klaus shut the door harder than necessary, storming down the hall. The 'somewhere' Bonnie had reminded him of was the second floor boardroom where council meetings were held, one of which started in three minutes.

Gaining power was one thing, keeping it was an entirely different thing. At the height of their success, the originals established The Cathedral, building a fortress where a church once stood. In an attempt to facilitate peace and obedience, Elijah welcomed ambassadors from a number of different factions. Though 'welcomed' may be too light a word. This was the new order and you either aligned with them or you faced possible extinction. It was a point the originals made clear. So The Cathedral – with its numerous rooms and suites - though it housed mostly vampires, also housed members from other species (as well as their individual entourages) and those members sat on the council. It was an efficient way to keep the tentative peace between factions but Klaus still dreaded these meetings. Diplomacy was Elijah's thing. Klaus subscribed more to the theory of ruling by fear. Like Machiavelli, he believed it was safer to be feared than loved. In fact, the Italian theorist had gotten the notion from Klaus himself over a shared drink.

His mind still on Bonnie, Klaus strode into the room, not sparing a glance around the large oval table. He took his seat toward the head of the table on Elijah's right side while Rebekah sat perched on his left.

"Nice of you to join us." Rebekah muttered under her breath and Klaus merely threw her a smirk.

Elijah called the room to attention and it wasn't long before the latest conflict was thrown on the table.

An older witch spoke up, her voice ringing with authority as she commanded the attention of the room. "One of our elders was killed yesterday." She turned her head to fix her stare on Elijah. "By a vampire."

His face showed no surprise, probably because he'd already heard the news late last night. Elijah raised a hand to beckon over one of the two vampires that stood stoically by the door. He whispered to the man and the vampire just nodded before spinning on his heel and leaving the room.

"I assure you the man responsible will be found and dealt with." Elijah said, with a nod toward the woman.

"Oh you can find him," she nodded, "but **we'll** deal with him." Sheila Bennett was not a woman to be messed with. A high ranking member of her coven, Sheila could have sent anyone else to live in The Cathedral under the vampires' thumb. But her granddaughter insisted on staying here (where the memory of Kol was) and Sheila would do anything to guarantee her safety. That didn't mean she didn't take her seat on the council seriously. A vampire had killed a witch, and not just any witch, an elder, a friend of Sheila's. She'd see to it that justice was done right.

Elijah took in Sheila's unflinching stare before speaking again. "I'm sure we can come to an agreement on the matter after the perpetrator is found."

She arched an eyebrow at him, throwing Elijah a look that plainly said she'd be getting her way. "I'm sure we can."

He returned the look before continuing the meeting. Klaus sat there bored and inattentive, his mind on Bonnie's vague prophecy. He'd barely snapped out of his daze just when Elijah called the meeting to a close. It wasn't until the room was clear that Rebekah spoke up.

"You know we can't give him to the witches." She said, fixing her stare on Elijah.

He glanced at her and nodded. "Still, he has to die. We can't afford to have a falling out with the witches."

Elijah knew most people incorrectly assumed that the werewolves would be the vampire regime's greatest threat. They were wrong. Their greatest threat held a seat at this oval table. He thought dismissively of the slender pixie and the fair haired banshee that represented the light fae before his mind conjured the image of their dark fae counterparts, a muscular male harpy and a wild haired gorgon. Elijah rarely concerned himself with the fae – the multitude of species within the faction fought for power within their own light and dark sects and then turned around to fight the opposing side as well. Elijah suspected that at this rate, they'd wipe themselves out in a few centuries. Then there were the factions not seated at the table. First the demons who were far from evolved enough to engage in any type of politics. Also not at the table were the werewolves. The werewolves, though strong, were at the end of the day too animalistic. They reacted too quickly to their base instincts, they didn't plan and they didn't have what it took to seize the throne let alone hold it. Like the fae, their faction experienced internal divisions. Those who were born wolf tended to be stronger, faster and better in almost every way and they had no qualms about lording it over those who were turned wolf from being bitten. Internal division had never been a problem for the vampires. All of their kind banded together behind one insurmountable force – the original family. Powerful as they might be, they were still not invincible and Elijah contemplated again how their greatest possible threat had sat at the long oval table. The witches. They dominated the mages faction 6 to 1 and the warlocks, oracles and seers would happily fall in line behind them. They might be smaller in numbers but they could be a real threat if they wanted to be.

Now without Kol, who seemed to have a way with the witches that none of his siblings could mimic, it was critical to keep what was left of the tentative alliance.

"They won't settle for us just killing him." Rebekah's voice pulled Elijah from his thoughts. "They'll want to make an example of him. Publicly. The same thing you're planning to do with that hunter human boy."

He knew Rebekah was right. It was Klaus' idea to use the boy to send a message to all his cohorts and Elijah knew the witches would do the same to the vampire that killed one of their own. It wasn't that he cared about sparing the unknown vampire's life (Elijah would kill him himself and not lose any sleep over it) but a public execution would show weakness for the vampires.

Rebekah and Elijah both turned to Klaus who was watching the conversation with disinterest.

That disinterest was solidified when he said, "give him to the witches, don't give him to the witches. I don't care. I've got a prophecy on my hands." He stood and walked over to a nearby shelf to pour himself a drink.

"Nobody cares about your love life, Nik!" Rebekah exclaimed, waving her hands.

"And what, pray tell, does one have to do with the other?" He turned, drink in hand, to face Rebekah.

She rolled her eyes. "I heard you and Bonnie talking. 'Kindred soul', Nik, really? What did you think she was babbling on about?"

"Perhaps I was more concerned with the part about the 'peril' and 'the end' but leave it to you to see only love in it, sister." He shook his head. "On second thought, give him to the witches. They may be the only ones who can clear this up for me. Bonnie is young but Sheila, Sheila might know a thing or two." Klaus was speaking more to himself than to his siblings.

"You would sacrifice one of our own for your own gain?" Rebekah asked, glaring across the room at him.

Klaus merely shrugged. He didn't particularly care about looking out for 'one of his own'. Klaus cared solely about himself and his own ends. If he had to sacrifice someone – vampire, werewolf, witch, shifter- he'd do it without hesitation and probably with a hint of glee.

"You know I'm right." Klaus said, turning to his brother. "Don't want to piss off the witches." He shook his glass of amber liquid before taking a sip.

"And you get your prophesy sorted out." Elijah said, giving him a pointed look.

Klaus just shot him a slow grin. "Well that's just a bonus now isn't it?"

* * *

The next morning, Caroline's biological clock woke her up at 5:30. She slipped into her most comfortable pair of black jeans, a fresh white tee-shirt and quickly tied her blonde curls back in a braid before tugging on her combat boots. Gliding lightly on her feet, she snuck down the stairs, careful not to wake her mother. Caroline was just about to head out the door when she paused. Striding to the back office, she looked around for a second before spotting a pad of paper and a pen.

_I had to do this. I love you and I'll see you soon._

She scribbled the note and left it on the desk before taking the back door out of the office, avoiding the front door bell. She circled around the building and spotted Elena pacing out front. The girl jumped nearly a foot in the air when Caroline appeared beside her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Caroline asked, skipping any pleasantries and looking for hints of hesitation in the girl's eyes.

Elena held her head high and the resolve was clear in her eyes as she met Caroline's gaze. "I'm sure."

Caroline just nodded, taking in Elena's simple jeans and beat-up sneakers. At least the girl had dressed for the part. "We have to make a stop first." She said, already walking as Elena fell into step beside her.

Elena didn't ask where they were going as Caroline led her down the street until they hit a seven foot tall chain link fence. With the practiced ease of someone who had done it a thousand times, Caroline lifted her arms and pulled herself up and over the fence, dropping lightly to her feet on the other side.

Elena looked along the fence for an easier entrance before following Caroline's lead, only her jump wasn't anywhere near as fluid. She sunk her fingers into the fence and climbed her way up with effort before landing on the other side, stumbling into Caroline who'd been watching with patient eyes.

Caroline couldn't help but think to herself that if Elena had that hard of time scaling the fence she'd certainly find it difficult to cross the city to reach The Cathedral and an even harder time getting in and out. Still the girl had made it clear that she would be coming along regardless and there wasn't anything she could say to dissuade her. Life is lessons, Caroline's mother had always told her, and Elena was about to learn quite a few lessons.

Elena had barely gotten a chance to glance around the sparse lawn that was more dirt than grass before Caroline was taking off again, Elena following quickly behind. The building that loomed in front of them appeared to have been some sort of a warehouse once upon a time. Now it looked mostly abandoned and like it could collapse any day now. They reached one of those steel, industrial roll up doors and Caroline banged on it three times, paused for a second, and then banged twice more. Elena noted it must have been some sort of a code for whoever was on the other side because the steel door rolled up, the noise of it disturbing the silence of the early morning.

Caroline ducked under before the door could even finish rolling up and Elena followed suit, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to adjust to the darkness. It may have been dark but Caroline maneuvered her way through as if she knew exactly where she was going and Elena stuck close to her to keep from bumping into anything. They turned a few random corners before Elena saw a small light in the distance. The two followed it until they reached the corner it was coming from. The source of the light was a desk lamp, perched on a ratty old wooden table. Sitting on an equally ratty old chair with his feet propped up on the table and his head tilted back toward the ceiling was a man. A blue and red baseball cap covered his face and the guy appeared to be sleeping in that position. Or at least that's what Elena thought until his voice rung out, bouncing around and echoing through the warehouse.

"It's way too early in the morning, Care." His voice was gruff with sleep as the guy pulled the cap from his face, revealing a head of sandy blonde hair, and looked over at the two girls. His blue eyes landed briefly on Elena, taking her in before turning back to Caroline.

"I needed to pick up some things." She said with a shrug.

The guy dropped his feet from the table to the floor before standing up and walking over to them. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" His voice was teasing as he looked from Caroline to Elena and back again.

"Matt, Elena, Elena, Matt." She waved between the two.

Caroline and Matt went way back – he wasn't just her best friend, he was her only friend. When she and her mom had come to town almost six years back and set up shop, Matt had quickly become an asset. Not just because he accompanied them on jobs that required more than two people but also because he was a weapons dealer of sorts. And mostly because he was just a good person and a good friend.

"Well nice to meet you Elena." Matt held a hand out and threw her that easy going, boyish smile Caroline had seen him use so often.

"Like I said, I need a few things." Caroline repeated once the pleasantries were over.

Leaning back over to the table, Matt hit a switch against the wall beneath it and bright florescent lights slowly flickered to life, illuminating the smallish warehouse. Elena looked around at the rows and rows of metal shelves that not only held all sorts of guns, knives, ammo and the like but also protective gear, ropes and a ton of other things she couldn't identify.

"Well, what do you need?" Matt grinned at Caroline.

She started walking, already advancing towards the shelves. "The best of everything." Caroline replied quickly.

Matt followed her, leaving Elena standing by the table and still taking in her surroundings. She wasn't even sure how to use most of this stuff.

"What's the job?" Matt asked as Caroline fingered a pair of knives.

She paused, glancing over her shoulder at him before turning around to face him fully again. After a few seconds of silence she finally said, "I'm breaking into The Cathedral."

Matt threw his head back and laughed for a moment but then his eyes landed on Caroline's and her expression was dead serious. Suddenly he wasn't laughing anymore.

"Caroline, you've always been ballsy but that's insane." Matt said, all traces of laughter gone from his eyes and replaced with sheer disbelief.

She decided to give him the cliff notes version, looking over her shoulder to make sure Elena was out of hearing distance. "Her brother's HC. They took him and they're going to kill him. My guess is they're waiting for the opportune moment to make an example out of him and I'm going to save him before they do."

Matt's mouth opened and closed repeatedly, not knowing what to say. He knew about Caroline's peculiar little talent so Matt didn't doubt for a second that if she said the kid was on death row then he was on death row. Of course Liz didn't know that Matt knew and she'd have a conniption if she did but it was a hard secret to carry around and Caroline had to tell someone. She trusted Matt with her life and she trusted him with her secret, though she never did tell him the whole truth about being a Valkyrie.

"I take it Liz isn't behind this plan." Matt said once he finally regained the ability to speak.

Caroline shook her head. "That's why I'm here so early and that's why we have to hurry up. She could get up any moment now." She prayed that if her mother did wake up, she would go for her morning run without checking Caroline's bed first.

"It's practically a suicide mission." Matt pointed out.

"I know." Caroline replied quickly though she'd been trying not to think about the possible negative outcomes.

"I'm coming with you." Matt said and his tone made it clear he meant business.

Again Caroline shook her head. "No you're not."

"Yes, I am." He shot back quickly.

"You just said it was a suicide mission." She pointed out.

Matt crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at her. "Which is exactly why you need me."

"Fine." Caroline said, throwing her hands up in the air as she wondered how much of Matt's sudden need to come stemmed from the way he'd been checking out Elena earlier.

In reality, Matt's decision to come had nothing to do with Elena and hardly anything to do with the notion of needing to protect Caroline (he'd known her long enough to know that Caroline could protect herself and if anything, she'd end up being the one protecting him). He wanted to come because Matt had always wanted to join the Human Coalition. However, he had no family left and Liz was like a surrogate mother to him. She thought of the HC as a bunch of hothead humans looking for trouble with supes and the few times Matt had mentioned joining up, Liz had forbidden it. But rescuing one of their own (and from The Cathedral no less) would not only get Matt's foot in the door with the group, it might even catapult him to the higher ranks. On top of that, he knew his best chance of pulling something like this off would be with Caroline. Matt might not know his best friend's whole back story but he knew she wasn't quite human. It was clear by her unnatural strength and agility when she fought and the way she recovered from blows much faster than any human would. Not to mention the whole death sensing thing. So no, Caroline wasn't human and whatever she was might just be enough to pull a ludicrous stunt like this off.

"You know, she's going to be a lot more focused on finding her brother than she's going to be on you." Caroline's voice pulled Matt from his daze as she eyed him.

He just let out that boyish, charming laugh. "I'm not going for Elena. I'm going because I don't want to be here when Liz wakes up and realizes that you're gone."

Caroline didn't get a chance to respond when Elena wandered over to them.

"Guys, shouldn't we get going?" She asked, already anxious to get to her brother.

Matt crouched to his knees to pull a black duffel bag from one of the lower shelves. "Just a little pre-trip packing." He said as he stood up with the bag. "Take what you need." Matt nodded at Caroline as he spoke.

She wandered further down the shelves, pulling a black tactical belt from one of the shelves and cinching it around her waist. Caroline grabbed the pair of knives she'd been eyeing earlier and slid them into the pouches of the belt.

"Chinese throwing stars?" Matt called out to her and Caroline looked up to see him waving a box at her with that same smile. Nothing excited Matt like weapons.

Caroline nodded and caught the box as he tossed it to her. She opened it, pulled out the three shiny throwing stars and slid two into her belt before hiding the third in her boot. When she looked up again, Matt was shoving a long-range sniper rifle into the bag.

She reached for another long, narrow box on the shelf and opened it. "Bullets, wooden, silver, regular." Caroline called out before shutting the box again and tossing it to Matt who caught it and shoved it in the bag.

They wove through the aisles, Elena following close behind and watching in silence.

"Smoke grenades." Caroline spoke as she grabbed a few from the shelves and tossed them to Matt. Again he caught them and bagged them.

"Real grenades." Matt said, reaching for a few and dropping them in as well.

He looked up and caught Caroline's cynical stare.

"We aren't going to be blowing things up Matt."

He just arched his brows at her. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize there was a handbook on how to break into an unbreakable fortress."

"Better safe than sorry, I guess." Caroline mumbled under her breath before continuing on.

Taking in the various weapons littering the shelf, Elena paused on an advanced looking crossbow. Carefully, she lifted it and tested the weight in her hands. Matt looked up from what he was doing and dropped the bag to turn to face her.

"Maybe something with a little less kick." He said, moving forward to take the crossbow from her as Caroline looked over at the two.

Before Matt could reach her Elena spun around, positioned the crossbow and fired. The arrow sailed smoothly through the air before nailing the dartboard on the wall sixty feet away. She turned back around to face Matt.

"I think I can handle it." She said casually, lowering the crossbow to her side. Elena took in the surprised looks on their faces but didn't say anything. Jeremy had shown her how to use one to protect herself but Elena still didn't know that Caroline already knew Jeremy was HC so she didn't mention where she'd gotten the weapons training.

"Okay." Matt said, smiling at Elena now.

Caroline just nodded, thinking to herself that maybe Elena had more chops than she had given the girl credit for. They may all survive this job after all.

Matt was just zipping up the duffel bag when Caroline reached the shelf where he kept the swords. Her eyes traced over the curved steel of a sabre and over to the thin blade of a katana. Caroline thought of the rapier sword she kept back at the shop. She hadn't taken it along because it wasn't right for the job - the narrow, light blade was good for picking off easy prey and for practicing around the office but she would need something sharper and heavier for this trip. Caroline picked up a basket-hilted sword and tossed it back and forth in her hands, trying to get a feel for it. Before she could decide, Matt strode over to her.

"Not that one. I've got a surprise for you." He said, taking the sword from Caroline and putting it back on the shelf before placing his hands on her shoulder and leading her across the warehouse.

They were almost to the very back of the small warehouse when Matt crouched down and pulled a black, rectangular case from a bottom shelf. Shoving some things aside, he placed the large black case on a higher shelf before flipping it open and stepping aside. Caroline stepped forward and peered inside at the sheath-covered sword nestled in there.

"I've been meaning to show this to you." Matt said from behind her and she could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Caroline lifted the sword from the case and pulled off the leather scabbard to reveal the shiny, steel sword inside. Sucking in a breath, Caroline dropped the scabbard to hold the sword with both hands, watching it glint under the bright florescent lights.

It was a European longsword, the hilt wooden and wrapped in leather that had intricate designs carved on it. The sharply tapered, double edged blade looked like it could slice through flesh like butter. Unlike the other swords she'd been looking at this one almost seemed freshly forged, the steel showing no signs of wear and tear.

"Where did you get this?" Caroline whispered, still taking in the sword with awe.

"I know a guy." Matt said, still grinning as he crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged.

Stepping away from him, Caroline tested the sword, swinging it to get a feel for the weight and movement of it. She wasn't a superstitious person and she didn't believe in fate but Caroline just knew this sword was meant to be hers.

Lowering the sword, Caroline bent to pick up the scabbard and slid the blade back into it. Holding the sheathed sword at her side, Caroline gave Matt a tight one-armed hug before stepping back.

"We should get going." She said and Matt nodded in agreement.

Matt holding the duffel bag, Caroline holding the sword and Elena holding the crossbow, the three made their way back outside. He passed the bag off to Caroline to load into his jeep before turning to lock down the steel industrial roll-up door using a chain and padlock. As the girls threw the stuff into the car, Matt set about booby-trapping the area surrounding the front of the warehouse.

Elena cocked an eyebrow at Caroline who just shrugged.

"He knows what he's doing."

Matt walked back over to them and Elena thought they were ready to go when he lifted his fingers to his lips and let out a loud whistle. A moment later the sound of scampering feet grew closer until four large dogs rounded the corner and raced toward Matt. He crouched down as they reached him, petting each one in turn. Matt always joked that he had ancient dog whisperer blood, if there was such a thing, because no one could connect with dogs the way he could.

As the dogs circled around him, jumping in the air, Matt grabbed the collar on the biggest of them all – a black Mastiff who's sagging jaw was slobbering all over him.

"Come on, Dutch." Matt said, opening the backdoor to the old blue jeep and ushering the huge dog inside.

The other three jumped as well, eager to go for a ride, but Matt headed them off.

"No you guys stay here. Guard the fort." He said, petting each one a last time before they scattered.

Caroline climbed into the front seat and Matt the driver's side while Elena eyed the beast in the backseat.

"He's harmless." Caroline leaned her head out to window to tell Elena. The truth was Dutch could do a whole hell of a lot of harm but without the command from Matt, he was basically a huggable teddy bear.

Not seeing any other choice and not wanting to waste any more time, Elena climbed in. It took a few minutes of coaxing but Matt finally got the jeep to start and they took off toward the city. Caroline kept her gaze trained out the window as the sun rose higher in the sky. Only half paying attention to Matt and Elena's idle chit chat, she watched as they drove through the small towns that littered the outskirts of the city. Each town looked the same – decaying structures and dirt roads. In the years immediately following The Lapse, chaos ruled. War stripped away the layers on houses and buildings and if that wasn't enough, Mother Nature struck full force. Trees, vines, and shrubbery ate away at buildings with boarded up windows and doors. What had once been small, maintained parks grew into larger forests that consumed the areas surrounding them. Even in the bright morning sunlight, everything looked grey.

Once upon a time, pre-Lapse, all of this had been part of the greater New Orleans area. Though the outskirts of the city held small, relatively quiet populations, the city itself was highly populated and not necessarily by humans. Caroline had only been into the city a handful of times and never without Liz. Her mother never let her take jobs in the city and would instead send Caroline west (away from the city) on jobs. Liz herself avoided taking jobs near or in the city. New Orleans was a supernatural hub, a constant stream of lores prowling the streets. As far as Liz Forbes was concerned, few jobs were worth the risk.

The closer they drew to the city, the antsier Caroline got so she almost didn't hear when Matt asked Elena about Jeremy.

"When'd your brother get in with the HC?"

Caroline shot her head to the side to throw Matt a look. She'd forgotten to tell him that Elena wasn't aware they knew about Jeremy's background.

Fidgeting in the backseat, Elena asked. "How'd you know he was with them?"

Matt caught Caroline's look and threw her an apologetic glance. Shaking her head, she turned a little in her seat to look at Elena.

"Just a lucky guess."

And they'd still decided to help her, Elena thought to herself. So she went ahead and answered Matt's question.

"Two years ago vampires killed our parents. Jeremy joined up right after that." She spoke softly as her mind momentarily raced back two years. "Their leader, Alaric, was the first person I went to after Jeremy was taken. He said the group wasn't ready for a 'coordinated strike' on The Cathedral and all recruits 'knew the risks involved'." Elena said bitterly.

Ric had come into their lives just a few months after their parents had died and Elena had begun to think of him as a surrogate father or at the very least a beloved uncle. He was the one who took Jeremy under his wing and trained him. Taught him how to be a killer and then sent him out to do it. Elena had been shocked when Ric refused to help her get Jeremy back. She'd seen the saddened look in his eyes though. Ric loved Jeremy, he just loved the cause more.

"Anyway, after that I started knocking on doors." Elena continued on. "No one would even consider helping me. Until you." She spoke softly, eyes locked on Caroline. "I never thanked you for that."

Caroline kept her eyes locked on Elena and gave the girl a small smile. "You can thank me after we get him back."

Elena returned the small smile before turning to look out the window. After over two hours of driving, they had finally reached the city parameters. As they drove through the streets, her nose was all but pressed to the glass. The streets were crowded with people and behind them, tall crumbling buildings loomed. Decaying apartment structures fell into each other and people shouted from balconies at one another. The energy of the city was different, Elena could already tell that much. It was louder and livelier than the surrounding towns though this was accompanied by a much greater sense of danger.

Matt glanced once at his fuel gauge before looking at Caroline.

"We need fuel."

She just nodded and they drove for a bit longer before Matt spotted an old, rundown gas station that appeared to still be in use. He pulled into the lot before easing the car to a stop. Rummaging around in the front compartment, Matt pulled out a small pouch of silver coins. Caroline dug deep in her pocket to add her coins to the mix and dropped them into Matt's waiting hands.

"It should be enough to get us the rest of the way." He said, climbing out of the car and walking toward the small shop, completely bypassing the rusted old pumps. They clearly hadn't been in use for well over a decade.

Caroline climbed out of the car and walked around it, leaning back against the blue jeep with the shop in her line of sight. She was stretching her limbs as Matt walked out, carrying one of those medium sized, fire engine red gas jugs. He sped back across the parking lot, opening the little gas tank door before fitting the spout of the jug into the compartment and filling the tank.

Caroline watched him do this for a moment before turning her head back to the small convenience store. From her spot perched against the car, she watched a frail looking teenage boy with a tattered old hood pulled over his head skulk into the shop. She kept her eyes trained on him as he paced through the aisles, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Caroline might have been far away but she still didn't miss it when the kid's hand wrapped around a bag of peanuts and slid it into his pocket before glancing over his shoulder to look at the preoccupied cashier.

It wasn't the first time this convenience store had been the victim of theft and it certainly wouldn't be the last time. Caroline didn't blame the kid. In this world, you took what you needed when you needed it. Glancing around the parking lot again, her eyes were immediately drawn to a tall woman who stood off in the corner of the parking lot. Her unruly brown hair was blowing in the wind as her eyes were trained on the store, more specifically on the boy. With that vicious look marring the woman's otherwise lovely face, it only took Caroline a second to deduce what she was. A fury. She'd only ever encountered one other fury in her life but Caroline knew enough to know what would happen next. Like vigilantes on speed, furies punished evil-doers of all kinds and the punishment was usually death. It didn't really matter the crime, a cold-blooded murderer and a desperate shoplifter would meet the same fate because in the eyes of a fury, evil was evil – ironic considering they ran around killing people.

Caroline watched the woman and Matt watched Caroline.

"Stay out of it, Care." He said, finishing with the tank and shutting the little gas door.

Caroline ignored him and just as the teen slipped out of the store, she ran across the parking lot to intercept the fury who was already in motion. Without slowing down, Caroline reached into her belt and pulled out the two throwing stars flinging them, one after the other, at the brunette woman. The sharp metal piercing her shoulder caught the fury's attention and she turned away from the boy to practically hiss at Caroline.

Caroline reached the woman and didn't pause before her leg was flying through the air in a roundhouse kick, connecting hard with the woman's head and snapping it to the side. A blow like that would have caved in the head of any normal human but the fury's head snapped back to the side and she snarled at Caroline.

She pulled the throwing stars from her shoulder and tossed them aside as if they were nothing.

"Don't make it easy on me." Caroline said sarcastically, taking a defensive stance and waiting for the fury to attack.

The woman ran full force at her, her nails having grown into longer claw-like talons. She swiped and Caroline danced back a little so the hand went slicing through nothing but air. While the fury was still off balance from her attempted blow, Caroline snatched her by the wrist and spun her around, tugging her arm back and reveling in the sound of the bone snapping out if its pocket. The fury howled but ducked out of Caroline's hold, turning to face her again. Ignoring the limp, dislocated arm at her side, the fury rushed Caroline again, this time taking a running leap before kicking through the air, two hits landing directly on Caroline's chest. The breath rushed out of her and Caroline clutched a hand to her chest, feeling her crushed windpipes regenerating. She didn't have long to think about this before the fury was coming full force again. Caroline ducked, rolled beneath the woman and stood again on the other side, all in one fluid motion. Before the fury could turn around again, Caroline was on her – literally. She scurried up the taller woman, wrapping her legs around the fury's torso and using her arms to catch the woman's neck in a chokehold. This pissed the fury off even more and she thrashed around, Caroline still clinging to her and tightening her grip.

Finally the fury opened her mouth wide but no sound came out. Well no sound that was audible to the rest of the parking lot anyway. To Caroline, it was like the noise was coming directly from her brain. Desperate whispers and agonized screams. This is what furies did to their prey – made them hear all the voices of their former victims. And, though she wasn't necessarily proud of it, Caroline had a lot of victims in her past. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew the sounds would eventually drive her mad as that was the way of the fury but it was hard to think clearly over all the noise. All the screaming.

Still Caroline fought to get to that fighter's headspace. Shutting her eyes, she tried to focus on what she was doing and not the sounds of people being tortured ringing through her head. The noise didn't stop but when Caroline opened her eyes again, there was a new resolve in them. Her feet dropped to the floor though she kept her chokehold on the still screaming fury. Caroline tightened her grip, knocked the woman to the floor and straddled her before finally snapping her neck. The voices in her head ceased immediately as the fury lay dead beneath her.

Letting out a deep breath, Caroline rolled off the woman and to the side, still sitting on the floor. She was getting ready to climb to her feet when a large furry body leapt over her.

"You're a little late to the party, Dutch." Caroline pointed out, stroking the dog's head before standing up.

She walked back over to the car, Dutch jogging beside her.

"Don't say anything." Caroline said to Matt, throwing him a look as she walked around the jeep and climbed in the passenger side.

"I wasn't saying anything." He shot back, ushering Dutch into the car before taking the driver's seat.

Elena was quiet in the backseat as Caroline rested her head on the window, rubbing idly at her shoulder. The car was silent as they drove for about another ten minutes before Caroline threw Matt a look and he pulled over, parking near a rundown looking motel, the letter 'e' missing for the blinking sign.

"Why are we stopping?" Elena asked. They were less than half an hour away from the other edge of the city where The Cathedral was.

Caroline glanced at the dashboard clock reading 11:23 AM. Still she said, "We have to stop, it'll be dark soon."

Caroline had never known 12 hours of daytime but she imagined it must have been nice. Post-Lapse, when the lights came back on, the world was different in so many ways. One of those ways was that daytime only lasted six hours, half of what it used to. The sun rose at 6:00 am but by noon evening would begin to set. Heavy clouds of smoke in the atmosphere shielded most of the sun's natural light. This didn't mean the world was shrouded in darkness most of the time. It just meant evening lasted longer, ranging in shades of dusk to midnight. Still it meant that vampires, who'd roast in the sun, had a bit of an advantage.

Caroline told Elena as much. "If we're going to breeze into The Cathedral, we're going to need daylight to do it. We'll crash here for the night and leave a little before dawn."

Elena just nodded though she was so close to her brother it was all she could do to keep from begging them to continue on. They climbed out of the car, Caroline grabbing her sword before slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder. Matt clipped a leash on Dutch and Elena grabbed her crossbow before they all walked into the sketchy motel.

The lobby, if you could call it that, featured old peeled wallpaper, an unfortunately green carpet and one long desk, behind which sat a woman in her mid-forties. Her hair was up in a severe bun and she appeared to be sewing a tear in a sweater.

"How many rooms?" She asked without looking up from her sweater.

"Just one." Matt said as they came to a stop in front of the desk.

For the first time since they walked in the woman looked up and her eyes immediately went to Dutch. She laid the sweater across her lap and reached beneath the desk for something. Her hand reappeared and plopped a small sign on the desk.

"No pets allowed." She said dryly, pointing to the sign with one blood-red tipped finger.

"Dutch's well trained. He'll behave, right boy?" Matt asked, looking down at the dog who just responded with what Caroline guessed was an agreeing bark.

"No pets allowed." The receptionist repeated in that same bored tone.

Matt pasted on his boyish, charming grin. "Can't we suspend one rule for just one night?"

"No pets allowed." It was like listening to a tape recorder.

"Okay," Matt leaned in conspiratorially and whispered like he was letting her in on a big secret, "Dutch here is not really a dog. He's a shifter."

The woman gave him that same unaffected look before reaching beneath the desk again. She pulled out another sign placing it next to the first.

"No lores allowed." She pointed to the sign, tapping it with one finger.

"This is a joke right?" Matt asked but the uninterested look she gave him made it clear she wasn't much of a joker.

Caroline and Matt shared a look before he turned back to the receptionist.

"I'll just take him back outside then."

Caroline paid for the room with the few silver coins she had left and traded bullets when that wasn't enough. Coins might be the only money with any value left but most places welcomed a bartering system. She wasn't sure what the woman would be doing with the bullets but she sure looked happy to have them.

The receptionist handed them a key and the two girls strode back outside to where Matt was waiting with Dutch. Together, and ignoring the no pet rule entirely, the three walked up a flight of stairs and down the rickety balcony to room 207. The small room held two beds and one beaten up old dresser. Caroline stashed all their stuff beneath the bed furthest from the door before standing up straight again.

"We should check out the city. Maybe hit a vampire bar and find out what to expect at The Cathedral." She said, looking at Matt.

"I'm coming too." Elena jumped in though it wasn't clear if they had intended to leave her here or not. It wasn't a risk she was willing to take. Until she had her brother back, these two were her best shot at getting him so she'd be sticking to them like white on rice.

Caroline just nodded, undoing her braid and shaking out her blonde curls. After quickly using the small adjoining bathroom, the three headed for the door.

Before they could leave, Elena paused, looking over her shoulder.

"What about Dutch?" Elena asked. "Someone will hear him in here."

Matt just shook his head, looking over his shoulder at the dog. "Nah he'll stay quiet, he knows what's at stake."

Elena wasn't so sure the dog saw it that way but Matt seemed pretty confident so they locked the door and left, easing out onto the streets of New Orleans. Evening had already come and with it, all the supernatural beings had come out to play. Caroline, Matt and Elena stuck close to each other on the crowded streets, skirting around the more unpleasant looking people. It didn't take them long to spot an obviously vampire establishment. The bar looked rundown but still, people flocked to it, pointed fangs out as they snarled at each other.

"Stay close." Caroline said, walking almost hip to hip with Elena and stopping just short of grabbing the girl's hand.

Once they slid into the seedy bar, Caroline quickly realized they weren't the only humans in the place. Girls and guys alike sported tiny little bite marks, most of them still dripping blood. She knew some vampires took pets and some humans were desperate to be one. Caroline tried to keep the distaste off her face as they found a quiet corner.

"Think once the liquor starts flowing, we'll be able to get one of these folks to tell us anything useful?" Matt whispered beneath his breath as his eyes shot around the room. The whispering was unnecessary considering they were surrounded by vampires with preternatural hearing but no one seemed to be paying them any mind anyway. Three humans didn't exactly scream threat.

"Maybe." Caroline muttered back to Matt. It took a lot to get a vampire drunk but half the room appeared to be well on their way. Absolute capitulation to their vices – it was a distinctly vampire trait. Blood, sex, alcohol – they weren't exactly the type to hold back.

Caroline was still taking in her surroundings, instinctively looking for a quick exit out in case things didn't go their way, when an older woman appeared in front of her. She leaned in close as if smelling Caroline, her eyes roaming over her neck. Caroline froze, immediately wishing she had her sword.

"No bite marks. You must be new around here." The woman's voice was throaty as she finally looked up and caught Caroline's eyes with a predatory smile. "What brings you to these parts?"

Caroline didn't get a chance to answer before Matt jumped in, leaning closer to her.

"We're looking for a friend."

The woman's head snapped to the side and she was on Matt as quickly as she had been on Caroline. "I can be your friend." She said huskily, breathing in his scent now.

Matt reminded himself to swallow back his fear. She'd smell it on him, making the game a lot more enticing for her. "This friend. He told us to meet him at some place called The Cathedral. You know anything about that?"

This time it was the woman who froze, her eyes darting back and forth between the three as if she was seeing them for the first time. "You look sweet so I'll let you in on a little secret," she said, her fingers tracing invisible patterns across Matt's chest, "your friend must really hate you because that isn't somewhere you want to be going."

Something else caught the woman's attention and she disappeared just as quickly as she had arrived.

"That was incredibly unhelpful." Elena muttered once the woman disappeared.

Caroline was about to respond when something caught her eye and she whipped her head to the side in time to see a scuffle break out. Her body tensed immediately, preparing for a fight, but the skirmish appeared to be between vampires. Two vampires, one male and one woman, grabbed hold of another one. They dragged him kicking and screaming from the bar, the distinct sound of bones breaking echoing in their wake.

"What the hell was that?"

The fight had happened so fast their human vision could hardly process it until the man was being dragged out.

"I don't know but I think we've seen enough for tonight." Caroline pointed out, already moving toward the door with her friends following close behind.

* * *

Klaus had been on his way to feed when a steely faced vampire intercepted his path. He was stoic as he leaned toward Klaus, the two exchanging hushed whispers. Grinning to himself, Klaus patted the man on the back before turning on his heel and striding back down the hall. His appetite could wait, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Klaus went down a floor, looking for a familiar door. When he reached it, Klaus tapped lightly and fought against his instinct to barge right in. A moment later the door flew open and Sheila stood there.

"I know it's a foreign concept to you but some of us do like to rest at night." Her voice was sardonic as she fixed her no-nonsense stare on him.

"Ah but I come bearing gifts." Klaus said, maneuvering his way into the room and turning to face Sheila as she shut the door.

Sheila stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "Gift implies it's freely given. I'm sure you want something in return."

Klaus threw her that trademark smirk and Sheila found it far from reassuring.

"Your granddaughter started something for me. I'd like you to finish it."

Sheila already knew what he was talking about and she was careful to keep her face expressionless. Bonnie was strong, much stronger than a witch her age should be. Sheila hadn't had her first vision until she was in her mid-thirties. She hadn't mastered control over it until she was in her forties. Bonnie had come to her grandmother first with her premonition and Sheila had known it would be a matter of time before Klaus came to her. A man like that wouldn't leave a prophesy that serious to a young witch, no matter how powerful Bonnie was for her age. Sheila wouldn't be sharing with Klaus the fact that there was no guarantee she could even call forth the same visions Bonnie had. A witch couldn't just foresee anything they liked. The visions had chosen Bonnie, not Sheila.

Still she said, "And if I agree to help you? What do I get in return?"

"A Jeffrey Weber. Your friend's killer. He's all yours." Klaus said with a smile, gesturing with his arms.

"You have him?" Sheila narrowed her eyes as she watched him.

"I do." Klaus said, stepping close to the witch. "Do we have a deal?" He arched an eyebrow.

Sheila just nodded and Klaus smirked again before walking out of the room, the witch following close behind. He led her down another floor and to a room at the end of the hall where he'd had the guard chain him up. Klaus didn't want to risk throwing him into a cell and having Elijah find him before Klaus could make his trade. His brother was still weighing the options when it came to the witches.

Klaus held the door open and gestured for Sheila to precede him. The old witch didn't relish the idea of putting her back to a predator like him but she wanted to see the vampire that had killed her friend.

The man was chained to a chair in the middle of the room. She could smell the vervain on the chains from here. Mini stakes kept his hands connected to the chair. Sheila found a certain satisfaction in seeing him suffer and he'd suffer a lot more before they were done with him.

She was about to speak when another voice filled the room.

"Sorry I'm late." Klaus turned as Elijah strode into the room.

Elijah threw Klaus a look that said it all. He was far from pleased about the situation he'd happened upon. They were meant to decide together what to do next once the culprit was found. Though after all these years, Elijah wasn't sure why he was still so surprised by Klaus' instinctive reflex to look out for his interests and his interests alone.

"We've already reached an agreement." Sheila said, holding her head high as she stared Elijah in the eye.

"Oh that won't be necessary." Elijah spoke slowly as he moved leisurely across the room. "I've already decided upon a fitting punishment."

In a flash that was too fast for Sheila's eyes, Elijah was moving. Klaus roared "no" and the single word pierced the silence in the room. The yell was still ringing in the air as Elijah removed the vampire's head with one precise stroke.

"Death." Elijah said coolly, straightening the arm of his suit jacket, indifferent to the blood now staining the expensive fabric.

Sheila's face remained unmoving as she calmly wiped the stray flesh and blood from her cheek. She fixed her stare on Klaus and while her face might portray a certain calmness, her eyes were boiling over with rage.

"I suppose we're done here then." She didn't give either vampire a chance to respond before she was storming toward the door and out of the room.

The door had barely shut behind her when Klaus dashed forward, grabbing Elijah by his shirt and pushing him back against the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Klaus growled low, leaning in closer to his brother.

Elijah's face was calm as he disengaged Klaus' fingers and shoved his brother back a few steps. "**That** was me making a decision. You notice how I didn't consult you first anymore than you consulted me before arranging this little meeting."

"We agreed –" Klaus had barely spoken before Elijah cut him off again.

"We **agreed** to revisit the issue once we had the perpetrator in custody. Something you seem to have forgotten, brother."

In less than a heartbeat, Klaus was in Elijah's face again, snarling as he spoke. "We needed her."

"No **you** needed her." Elijah spat back, not the least bit intimidated by his brother's wrath. "I'll find a way to handle the blowback from the witches but Niklaus, your little prophesy will just have to wait."

Klaus' hand pulled back before thrusting forward again, punching a hole in the wall right beside Elijah's head. Still growling, he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room – contemplating his next move now that his deal with Sheila was dead.

* * *

Darkness was slowly making way for dawn when Elena felt someone rouse her from her sleep. Her eyes shot open and she sat up in the unfamiliar bed in the unfamiliar room. It took her a moment to remember she was in a motel in the middle of New Orleans, lying in a bed beside Caroline. Or at least Caroline had been there when she'd gone to sleep.

Blinking rapidly, Elena took in Matt's appearance. He'd been the one to wake her up, leaning over the bed and shaking her shoulders.

"Time to go." He said, nodding toward the window where Elena could see the sun would be up soon.

She climbed from the bed, pulling on her sneakers as she watched Matt gather their things. Caroline walked out of the tiny side bathroom, her hair pulled back in a braid and her sword swinging at her hip.

"We ready?" She asked, looking between Matt and Elena.

"Break into the city's most guarded building, find a kidnapped soldier, get him out, leave alive. It's a walk in the park." Matt said with a wink.

"That's the spirit." Caroline shot back, already moving toward the door.

The three loaded into the car with Dutch and Matt did his usual coaxing to get the old jeep to start moving. They still had to cross most of the city to get to The Cathedral but with the sun rising in the sky, New Orleans was pretty quiet right about now. The ride was silent as Elena worried about her brother and Caroline worried about their clear lack of a plan. They had no idea what they were walking into and that wasn't something she was used to.

Caroline was so caught up in her thoughts she hadn't been paying attention to their surroundings. If she had, she would have noticed the spikes in the road before Matt ran over them.

"Shit." He muttered as the front tires went flat and the jeep rolled to a stop.

Caroline instinctively put her hand on the hilt of her sword, looking out the window and around the street. It looked quiet but she knew the silence was deceptive. Spikes in the road meant a trap. Someone or something was fishing for food and they'd caught a jeep full of tasty meat.

Matt tapped Caroline on the shoulder before nodding out his window. She twisted her head to the side to look at what he was gesturing toward and felt her stomach sink a little at the sight. Wendigos. At least ten of them. The creatures were moving closer to the car, some of them dragging along on all fours while others stood up straight.

"Shit." Caroline groaned, though the expletive did nothing to help their situation. "Stay in the car." She spoke over her shoulder to Elena before easing her door open.

Matt followed suit, grabbing his gun and jumping out of the car. Caroline circled around the jeep to stand beside him while the half animal- half human looking creatures drew closer. Freeing her sword from its sheath, she took in their glowing eyes and sallow, yellowish, greyish skin. The bones of their chests were visible beneath the almost transparent skin. It'd make their hearts an easy target, Caroline noted.

Standing shoulder to shoulder, Matt and Caroline didn't have to look at each other to prepare for what came next.

The first wendigo picked up speed, charging at them on all fours. Caroline waited until he was a few feet away from ripping out her stomach before raising her sword in the air and striking it down. The steel blade sliced through the beast's neck like a knife through butter. The head rolled off to the side while the body continued to shudder and convulse on the floor. It wasn't dead yet (wendigos were notoriously hard to kill) but it wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Watching his companion go down with a howl, a second beast charged and this time Matt fired at the wendigo as it came closer. He emptied four bullets into the beast's chest but it kept coming, only marginally slowed down by the silver bullets. Matt waited until it was within reaching distance, stretching out its mangy claws toward him, before firing a final silver bullet directly into the wendigo's heart. The half-animal, half- human thing dropped like a sack of flour.

With two down, the remaining eight got smarter. Instead of charging right at them, the beasts began to form a semicircle around Caroline and Matt. As they stalked closer, Caroline and Matt moved as well - inching away from the car until they were standing back to back, watching the wendigos circle them.

"Walk in the park right?" Matt said softly. With his back to hers, he couldn't see Caroline but he could picture the look of concentration on her face. He'd seen Caroline disappear into her own fighter's mind space in situations like these.

"Right." Caroline responded quickly before Matt felt her take off. Following her lead, Matt began firing as well, aiming for their hearts.

Sword swinging, Caroline advanced toward the closet wendigo. The beast snarled at her with yellowish fangs before running forward, arms stretched out. Long talons swiped right where Caroline's head would have been if she hadn't dropped to her knees. She buried her sword in his gut and disemboweled him with a single rip, leaving a gaping mouth in the beast's belly. Blood and guts spilled onto her but Caroline didn't notice as another one came charging at her. She was barely on her feet again in time to drive her blade right through the creature's heart. Like a stuck pig, the wendigo trashed around with Caroline's sword buried through his heart and sticking out his back. Putting both hands on the hilt, Caroline tugged, pulling her sword out and taking the beast's heart with it. The wendigo dropped and Caroline shook her sword, sending the removed heart falling to the ground beside its former owner.

She looked up just in time to see another wendigo, this one much bigger than the last two, charge at her. Caroline swallowed back a scream as a long thin claw sliced through the flesh of her stomach. She'd backed up enough that it was only a surface wound but it stung like hell. Lifting her sword again, Caroline brought it down in front of her, slicing through the flesh and bone of the hand that had cut her stomach. The hand fell to the floor and the beast howled but didn't slow his pursuit.

Meanwhile, Matt had fired all the bullets in his gun before tossing it aside and pulling out two combat knives. Eyes darting around the approaching wendigos, he twirled the knives in his hands, getting used to the feel of them. One beast ran forward and he sidestepped at the last moment, burying one knife in the creature's neck from the back while sinking the other one into his chest. Matt cursed beneath his breath, knowing he missed the heart, but shoved the beast aside anyway. The two wounds would be enough to slow him down for now and Matt had a bigger problem with the next wendigo already coming toward him. He spun just in time to sink both knives into the beast's stomach. It must have been little more than a nuisance for the wendigo who just snarled before curling long claws around Matt's neck. He pulled his knife out and jammed it back in to no avail. Matt could feel the animal's claws tighten around his neck, almost crushing his windpipe. He was beginning to think he'd lost this fight when a bullet grazed past him, barely nicking his shoulder before hitting the chest of the wendigo. It was enough to distract the beast long enough for Matt to drive his knife directly through the heart.

Once the beast dropped to the floor, Matt turned long enough to see his sniper rifle sticking out the window of the jeep. Elena had saved his life.

"Silver bullets." He shouted out to her before turning again just in time to duck before another set of claws got him.

Elena, still panicking in the backseat of the car, turned back to the duffle bag.

Silver bullets, silver bullets, silver bullets.

She repeated the mantra to herself while she searched the bag. Finally pulling them out, she emptied the chamber of the rifle and reloaded it with the right bullets. Lining it up again, Elena scanned the area before sighting her target. She fired off a couple of shots but the wendigo kept moving. Emptying half a round into his chest, the animal finally dropped and Elena spun her gaze around looking for another one. She heard a series of loud barks behind her but before Elena could react Dutch went sailing out the window, shattering the glass with his huge body. She took in the broken glass before turning back to the fight, keeping the rifle's target trained on the area around Matt.

Caroline was pinned beneath a wendigo, the largest of the group and presumably their leader. Her sword had been knocked just out of reach when the beast had tackled her to the ground but still Caroline's fingers grasped and clawed at the pavement, trying to reach it. The wendigo on top of her leaned forward, slobbering all over her face. Claws dug into her neck and shoulders while Caroline struggled to maintain her breathing. Glowing red eyes looked down at her and for a split second Caroline's mind went to her mom. She shouldn't have left the way she did.

Caroline was already mentally saying her goodbyes when a loud barking grew closer and suddenly the wendigo's grip loosened. The beast straightened with a howl and over its shoulder Caroline could see Dutch clinging to its back, sharp teeth buried in the greyish skin of the wendigo's neck.

With her upper body free, Caroline stretched that final inch and breathed a sigh of relief when her fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword. She pulled it to her, sinking the blade into the stomach of the beast. The wendigo, wounded now, stopped crouching and stood on his feet again. In the process he pulled Dutch off, flinging the dog across the street where he slammed into a building, leaving a crater in the wall before falling to the floor.

Caroline's heart sank as she watched the dog, praying for him to move. Dutch's body stayed still and unmoving on the ground. Turning back to the wendigo, Caroline roared as she spun with her sword in hand, slicing through the beast's neck and sending its head rolling. The body fell to its knees but kept advancing, swinging arms blindly out in front of it. Caroline kicked the beast until it fell on its back before driving her sword through his heart. She didn't have a moment to relish in the death of Dutch's killer before Matt was calling out her name.

"Caroline!"

She spun, her feet already moving as she ran to him. More wendigos had shown up and the flow didn't appear to be slowing down.

"You got to get her out of here." Matt said, nodding toward the car as Caroline came to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

"I'm not leaving you."

Matt pulled out another gun and another shot pierced through the air as another wendigo fell to the ground.

"Yes you are."

Caroline didn't get a chance to respond as she spun with her sword, slicing through the belly of a beast before taking off its head.

"Matt –"

"Get her out of here!" He cut her off with a yell, talking over the sounds of bullets flying. "We can't take them all."

Caroline's sword carved out the heart of another one. The pile of bodies in front of them grew, forming an efficient barrier for the rest that were approaching.

"I'm not leaving you Matt!"

"I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. I'll hold them off while you guys make a run for it." More shots fired.

Caroline turned her head to the side long enough to take in Matt's appearance. He stood there bloodied and favoring his right leg. Still the look on his face was one of steel determination as he shot down beast after beast.

"Now, Caroline!" He shouted again and this time she listened, running back to the car.

She flung the door open and practically pulled Elena out. "Let's go." She said, her feet already moving.

Elena snatched up the crossbow and spared one last glance at Matt before running after Caroline.

Matt turned his head away from the approaching horde long enough to see the girls sprinting down the street. He backed up further to his car, dropping wendigos with silver bullets to the heart as he moved. Matt had just reached the car when his eyes caught sight of a limp, furry body on the street behind it. Dutch. He choked a little before turning back to the slowly approaching wendigos.

Matt reached through the open window for the duffel bag, rifling around quickly in it until he pulled out a grenade. They'd burn. They'd all burn.

* * *

Caroline ignored the aches in her body as she ran down the street, turning corner after corner, looking for a car. Elena was close behind, the crossbow lowered and at her side as they ran. Spotting an old grey car, Caroline ran toward it, putting her sword back in the sheath on her hip as she moved. Using her elbow, Caroline broke the window on the driver's side before opening the door.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." She muttered frantically beneath her breath as she tried to hotwire the car. When it didn't start after the first few tries, Caroline climbed out and took off running again.

Down the street she spotted another car and repeated the same moves, breaking the window and climbing in. She cursed continuously beneath her breath until the sound of the engine finally roared to life.

"Yes." She muttered, flinging the passenger side door open so Elena could climb in.

The door was barely shut before Caroline stepped on the gas. The car went flying down the empty streets as she made all the turns to go back for Matt. Caroline was just pulling onto the street where they'd left Matt, the jeep and the wendigos when a large blast had her stepping on the brakes. The car screeched to a stop as the boom shook all the buildings in the surrounding area. Smoke quickly began to cloud the air and Caroline didn't waste any more time before stepping on the pedal again. She spun the car around, taking off down the street again.

The ride was silent as Elena tried carefully to not move so much as an inch. The look on Caroline's face was nothing short of vicious and Elena didn't want to draw any attention to herself so she let the girl stew in her anger. It didn't feel right to try to offer any reassurances or apologies for Matt so instead Elena tried to make herself invisible.

A while later, Elena looked off into the distance at the huge building that loomed over the edge of the city. As they grew closer, her nerves grew more erratic. They were down one person and she wasn't sure what mental state Caroline was in at the moment. Still, her brother was right there and Elena had come way too far to even consider turning around.

Caroline pulled the car over and Elena shot her a curious look.

"We walk from here." She said as she climbed out of the car.

Caroline steeled her breath as they took off down the empty street. Matt was alive. He had to be. She couldn't deal with the alternative right now. Even as the blast replayed in her mind, Caroline reminded herself that she would have felt it if it was his time to die. Matt was more of a warrior than most people she knew. If he'd been about to die, Caroline would have known.

She continually reminded herself of this as she continued down the street with Elena by her side. Dodging behind crumbling buildings and navigating around abandoned cars, Caroline led them closer to the looming fortress that acted as vampire headquarters. She didn't pause until they were a couple of yards away from the side of the building, crouching behind an old abandoned truck. Peeking her head around, Caroline watched three guards patrol this side of the building before ducking back next to Elena.

"What's the plan?" The brunette asked the question that had been on her mind the entire drive.

"We let them take us." Caroline said beneath her breath. "It's the only way we get to your brother. Once we find him, I'll find a way to get us out."

"Okay." Elena replied with a nod. The plan wasn't perfect but she trusted Caroline and she definitely didn't have a better idea. She poked her head around the side of the truck, spotting the same guards Caroline had. They disappeared around the corner and reappeared a few moments later, idly pacing the area. "Are they human?"

They were walking in the sun so they couldn't be vampires but Caroline highly doubted they tasked a couple of humans with guarding the place. "Probably not." She said, shaking her head no. Caroline waited until the guards disappeared from sight again before continuing."Come on." She nodded her head at Elena before taking off again, running to clear the space between them and the building before pressing her back against the brick. The guards would be turning back around this corner any moment now. Caroline turned to look at Elena standing beside her.

"Are you ready?" She asked, pulling her sword from its sheath.

"Ready for what? I thought the plan was to let them take us." Elena said throwing the other girl a confused look, her crossbow still lowered at her side.

Caroline just cocked an eyebrow. "No one said we had to make it easy on them." With that she swung around the corner, her feet pounding the pavement as she ran towards the guards at the front entrance. Caroline knew Elena was close behind her when an arrow went whizzing past her. It darted through the air before piercing through the throat of one of the guards. He fell to his knees, clutching his neck, and the two others turned around. The one closest to Caroline hardly had time to react before she was slashing a gaping hole in his stomach. He fell beside his friend, neither of them dead but slowly recuperating from their wounds. Definitely not human Caroline thought to herself as the third guard came at her. She swung her sword but he dodged it, his leg sailing through the air and nailing her in the chest. Caroline stumbled back and her eyes caught sight of more guards running toward them. She caught her breath just in time to duck the guards next kick aimed at her head, swiping her leg out and knocking him off his feet before burying her sword in his chest.

Yanking out her sword, Caroline looked up to see four more guards drawing closer. One of them was running with an arrow embedded in his chest and she saw Elena let loose another two arrows at rapid fire speed, hitting him in the chest twice more and dropping the man to his knees. Caroline lifted her sword above her head, both hands on the hilt, and threw it. It plunged into the chest of the guard a few feet in front of her, sending him to the floor. Caroline ran, closing the distance between them, yanked her sword out in one fluid move and was swinging it again, narrowly missing the next guard who danced back just in time. She blinked and suddenly his hands were on fire, Caroline ducking to avoid the flying flames. She stood straight again before gliding to the side and before the man could turn to aim again, Caroline brought her sword down and watched with an almost sick satisfaction as the blade sliced through his wrist. The hand fell to the floor, the flames extinguished. The fire thrower let out a brutal yell but his remaining hand was already building another ball of flames as he turned to face Caroline.

She was preparing to swing again when a low whistle sparked a piercing sensation in her mind and Caroline fell to her knees, dropping her sword to clutch her head between her hands. She could see Elena curled into a similar position on the floor, the guards all on the floor and covering their ears as well. The whistling that caused the debilitating pain grew closer and Caroline saw the edges of her vision grow fuzzy, wanting nothing more than to pass out. She was still on her knees, grasping at her head and staring at the ground, when a pair of thin, long red heels appeared in her line of sight. One stiletto clad foot calmly kicked her sword, knocking it out of Caroline's reach. Her eyes were still trained on those shoes when the whistling finally stopped. Dropping her hands from her head, Caroline trailed her gaze up from the shoes, along a lithe body and landed on the green eyed gaze of the siren who had let loose that mind crushing whistle. A siren's whistle could reach a number of different frequencies from an enticing melody to an incapacitating, piercing sound. Caroline was lucky the woman hadn't tried to blow her head up with it.

"Get up you idiots." She spat derisively, looking around at the guards before returning her gaze to Caroline. "Put this one in solitary." The siren said, nodding down at her before spinning on her heel and sauntering away.

Caroline, whose head was still spinning, felt a pair of hands grip her arms and yank her up. She caught Elena's gaze as another guard pulled the brunette to her feet.

They were walked through the large double doors and Caroline sucked in a low breath. They were inside the nest. The guards marched them a few feet down the hall before the one holding Elena turned to go down a different hall. Caroline threw Elena a final reassuring look before the girl disappeared from sight.

Being taken to solitary hadn't been a part of the plan but Caroline was adjusting. She was in now and the only way she was getting out alive was if she kept her wits about her.

"So you take your orders from a siren?" Caroline asked, careful to keep her voice idle as her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. The guard had taken a few turns and the hall they were walking down had plush red carpeting which Caroline noted would be good for swallowing the sounds of stealthy footsteps. She took in a number of mahogany doors though she couldn't even begin to guess what was behind them.

The guard ignored her question, his features stoic as he faced forward, so Caroline carried on. "She didn't seem too happy with you. Understandable since you let a couple of human girls get the best of you. I got to say, I expected more of a fight." She continued to goad him as her eyes raced to take everything in. The ends of the hall, surprisingly, featured floor to ceiling windows that weren't covered by drapes. She could see the sun high in the sky but the rays weren't casting shadows in the hall so she assumed the windows somehow blocked out the sun. If they were impermeable to the sun then the glass was probably way too thick to break through, ruling out that mode of escape.

"So you're the strong and silent type?" Caroline said as he pulled her around another corner. Still no response. "That's healing nicely." She nodded at the gap in his shirt that revealed a slice of skin that had stitched itself back together, leaving behind a fading scar. It would have taken a normal human weeks to get to that stage of healing, assuming they survived at all. Caroline had known it wouldn't be a killing blow when she delivered it. It was one thing to injure a couple of guards and another thing entirely to kill the Cathedral guards. The former might get her thrown in solitary but the latter would have her killed on sight.

"Where are we going?" Caroline finally asked as the guard continued to drag her along. She didn't expect him to respond but if her captor was going to say something, he didn't have a chance before another man appeared.

It was almost as if Caroline had sensed his presence before he turned the corner. She'd been forcing a sense of calm from the moment she had been pulled inside but that all fled in that moment when her eyes landed on him.

* * *

Klaus was not having a good morning. He stood in front of the large windows and glared at the sun. Because he and his siblings were so old Klaus found he didn't have to sleep during the day, but the sun still kept him trapped indoors. The rays might not penetrate the spelled windows but if he stepped outside, Klaus would roast. That made it a lot harder for him to track down a witch strong enough to give him the answers he wanted. So for now his only option was to pay another visit to Bonnie. He glared once more at the sun before spinning around and striding down the hall, his hands clasped behind him.

Klaus turned the corner and froze in his tracks. It wasn't a common occurrence for a man of his age – a moment that startled him to a standstill. But he saw her and he froze. A heartbeat passed then he was moving again, faster than before, and clearing the space between them in a matter of seconds.

"And who is this?" He spoke to the guard but his eyes stayed locked on the girl.

"She and another one attacked the guards at the front door. We think they're with the coalition - keeping them alive for questioning. This one's on her way to solitary."

"No she isn't." Klaus said, impulsively making the decision to change the guard's instructions while taking in the girl's features up close. It was like looking at satin covered steel. Her features were soft and delicate – button nose, round eyes, full lips. But Klaus could see the ferocity in her bright blue eyes. "Take her to my room." He said, still not taking his eyes off the girl to face the guard.

"I'd prefer solitary if it's all the same to you." The girl bit out, her chin jutting out as she stared right back at him.

Klaus laughed, his shoulders shaking. There was that hidden steel. He didn't say anything else but nodded at the guard. The man nodded back before continuing down the hall with the blonde in tow. Klaus watched them disappear from sight before continuing on his way. The sooner he got this visit with Bonnie out of the way, the sooner he could delve into his mysterious new arrival.

* * *

This wasn't going according to plan.

Caroline paced the length of the obscenely large bedroom, her mind racing as she tried to adjust to changing circumstances. The man in the hall (and Caroline could hardly really consider him a 'man' when she could tell he was so much more) had thrown a chink in her plan. A huge, unexpected chink. As she paced the room, Caroline could still picture his face in her mind. That sinister smirk, those enigmatic eyes. And that laugh that had sent a shiver racing down her spine though Caroline couldn't pinpoint just what the feeling was.

She paused in front of the bedroom door and tugged at it again, already knowing the knob wouldn't budge.

"Shit." She muttered beneath her breath before running toward the window. Caroline flung it open and felt the cool air hit her. The six hours of daylight were up and night had already set. She sucked in a deep breath before leaning out the window and looking down. It didn't matter that the window opened because they were so far up the fall would surely kill her. Caroline tried to remember how many flights of stairs the guard had dragged her up – they were at least four stories high. With her head still out the window, Caroline looked out into the distance, puzzled by how different this view was from the front of the house. In the early evening light she could make out a forest that appeared to stretch for miles and miles ahead.

Caroline stood straight again and turned around listening carefully for any signs of someone coming. She heard voices in the hall and immediately identified one of them as the man from the hall. Caroline highly doubted she'd ever be able to forget that voice. Glancing frantically around the room, her eyes landed on the bedside lamp and Caroline raced over to it. The voices drew closer as she removed the lamp shade before breaking off the wooden base. It wasn't perfect but it would have to do.

With the makeshift stake in hand, Caroline raced back to the open window just as the door opened. Her body tensed as she hid the weapon behind her back, placing it quietly on the windowsill.

Klaus caught the way her body stiffened and just smiled as he strolled leisurely across the room.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Klaus." He put a hand to his chest as he paused in the middle of the room, still a safe distance away from Caroline.

When she didn't respond, Klaus just arched an eyebrow before continuing. "Traditionally, this is the part where you tell me your name." His comment was met with further silence and Klaus just smirked as he continued. "The guards seem to be under the impression that you're with that nuisance of a coalition but they're neither bold enough nor foolish enough to send two of their own out here without any backup. And from what I hear you're far too skilled to be a common vagrant or thief, which leads me to believe you must be from out of town." His lips curved into that same dangerous smirk. "You have no idea what you've walked into love."

Caroline remained still, not confirming or denying any of his claims.

"Proverbial cat got your tongue?" Klaus asked as he began walking again, stalking closer to her.

When he was a few feet away, Caroline finally reacted, hopping up to sit on the wide windowsill, the cool night air blowing against her back.

Klaus froze, his brows rising in a surprised look that quickly turned into an amused one. The girl was bold, he'd give her that much.

"Sweetheart, we're over fifty feet up, if you try to leap from that window you'll die." He spoke casually as he watched her grip tighten on the edge of the windowsill. "But I'll humor you. Best case scenario you somehow land and survive. Then you'll have to contend with the guards down there and they aren't too happy about your earlier stunt either." Klaus smiled, recalling the full debriefing he'd been given by their head of security on the attempted breach. "Still, given what I've heard about the damage you caused before they were able to subdue you, I'm certain you could try to fight them off and maybe even win." He shrugged, still standing in place. "But then the only direction to go would be toward the forest and the things back there would surely kill you." Klaus finished with a flourish of his hand.

"Maybe I'd rather die than be locked in here with you." Caroline spat, leaning further out the window to make her point.

Klaus threw her that same smug look, his head tilted to the side as he watched her like prey. "I'm not a man who needs to force himself on women, sweetheart."

Even with that arrogant tone, Caroline knew it was the truth. Looks like that coupled with that devilish accent, not to mention the power radiating off of him, she imagined he had more than enough women throwing themselves at his feet. Which begged the question why he insisted on keeping her trapped here.

"What do you want with me then?" Caroline asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Klaus let out a low, rumbling laugh and before she could process it he was flashing across the room to her. He'd settled himself between her parted legs, leaning in close enough that their chests brushed, and Caroline sucked in a breath. The shock threw her off balance and it was his arms wrapped around her waist that kept Caroline from tumbling backwards out the window and plummeting to her death.

"I want" Klaus began, his hot breath tickling her collarbone as his eyes fixated on her lips, "to know your name."

Klaus stilled, listening to her pounding heartbeat, his eyes lowering to watch the thumping pulse at her neck. It was a smooth, elegant neck and he could practically taste her sweet skin on his tongue already. Her blood would be even sweeter. It was the only explanation for why he was so intensely enthralled by her. It had to be something in her blood and Klaus couldn't wait to pierce that delicate little vein.

"Your name…" He repeated himself when the girl didn't respond, dragging his eyes away from her neck to look at her eyes again.

Caroline weighed her options, struggling to think clearly caught between this man and a fifty foot drop. Finally she spoke, careful to keep her voice steady and unaffected. "Caroline."

"Caroline." Klaus repeated the name, loving the way it felt on his lips. The name suited her - she was definitely a Caroline.

One hand left her waist to trail a solitary finger across her jaw and slowly down her neck. She swallowed and her throat contracted beneath his touch, causing that smirk to cross Klaus' face again.

"What do you want?" Caroline repeated her question from earlier, her voice lower and softer now as she reserved all her energy to keep from shivering in his arms.

The smirk fell from Klaus' lips and was replaced by a look of deep concentration. He stared contemplatively at her as if Caroline was something he'd never seen before. Highly unlikely. She got the feeling this man had seen – and done - it all.

"I answered your question, now answer mine." Caroline spoke again, her voice firmer now.

Klaus didn't speak, still thoroughly entranced by the wild pulsing of the vein at her neck. He'd already fed today and sated his hunger but in that moment Klaus was slammed with an unbearable thirst. He needed to taste her.

Without warning, his grip on her neck tightened and the arm around her waist stiffened into an immovable band of steel crushing her tight to him. It was like a boa constrictor had wrapped around her and Caroline barely had a moment to process the change before she felt two sharp fangs pierce her skin. Her mouth opened on a soundless scream and she felt her heart pick up speed again. The soundless scream melted into a very audible gasp and Caroline belatedly realized the panting sound was coming from her. Her body felt supercharged, every nerve ending igniting in a way she'd never experienced before and didn't know how to handle. Her legs instinctively tightened around his waist, her hands reaching up to claw at his back as Klaus drank from her.

Caroline's vision was growing fuzzy around the edges when she finally snapped out of it. She reached behind her and in one fluid motion, Caroline snatched up the wooden base of the lamp and buried it in Klaus' back.

Klaus ripped his mouth away from her neck with a growl, his hands leaving her neck and waist. In an almost eerie fashion, the growl faded into a low, rumbling laugh as Klaus just stared at her. He was still laughing as he reached one arm over his shoulder and pulled out the makeshift stake, tossing it to the floor.

Caroline had had her suspicions but that swift and easy motion confirmed it – he was an original. The stake in the back had been nothing more than a minor nuisance to him. Caroline felt her body tense up again as she struggled to regulate her breathing. Her head was still spinning from his impromptu feeding and her mind was racing to process everything that had gone on in the last five minutes. An original vampire. It was more than Caroline was prepared to handle.

* * *

**For the record, all chapters won't be quite this long. They'll be longer than my norm for Body Knows Best or Some Nights but not this madness. Anyway...thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A few quick things. One) There's been a name change, sorry for any confusion but this one is more germane to the story (hint hint). Two) The mythology - I'm going to twist it and bend it to suit my needs so if you're an expert in Norse or Greek mythology, try not to cringe too much. And again thanks to my betas, Juliete (geekorunique) and Katie (hybridlovelies) without whom this might be an even bigger mess than it already is. **

* * *

After living for over 1000 years, Klaus had quite the refined palate. He'd tasted all manner of humans and yet Klaus was certain no one had ever tasted quite like Caroline. Drinking from that spidery vein at her neck was like sipping the finest wine known to man. And the surprises didn't stop at just her taste either. She'd given him quite the shock when she buried that stake in his back. Klaus had killed people for doing much less than that but oddly enough the thought of harming Caroline didn't even cross his mind. He actually found her show of violence rather amusing.

As Caroline was still recovering, Klaus pulled her off the window sill and into his arms in one fluid motion.

"Well aren't you a feisty one." He whispered, his fingers brushing through her hair.

Caroline tried to step out of his arms but his grip just tightened around her. "Wanna pass me that stake, I can try again." She spat out, glaring at Klaus and too upset to consider the danger of taunting him.

But her sneer had no effect on him as Klaus just laughed again. "Perhaps another time." He said, giving in to her shoving and freeing her from his arms. But instead of stepping away, Klaus lifted his arms, caging her in as he reached behind her to shut the window. He kept his hands pressed against the window, smirking as Caroline's breath caught in her throat. "For now, why don't you tell me why you're here, _Caroline_." The way he said her name was like a teasing caress and there was no missing the shiver that raced down her spine.

Caroline stared at him for a moment longer before ducking beneath his arm and moving to stand behind him, taking a moment to collect herself, her hand instinctively going to her neck.

"What makes you think I'm in in any mood to answer your questions?" She spat, glaring at his back.

Klaus just laughed as he turned around, fixing her with that smirk again. "What makes you think you have a choice, love?"

"I always have a choice." She shot back quickly. "And if I choose not to answer your questions?" Caroline taunted, taking slow steps backward.

Klaus stopped laughing, his face growing serious as he eased closer, stalking her like prey. "Do you really want to find out what I do to people that don't give me what I want?"

Caroline paused for a moment, watching him with perceptive eyes. He'd caught her before she could fall out the window and when Caroline had stabbed him Klaus had barely reacted even though she'd expected him to snap her neck. She got the distinct impression she was more interesting to him alive than dead and that would work in her favor. So testing her theory Caroline said, "go right ahead and show me," arching an eyebrow as she froze in place and waited.

Klaus flashed forward, stopping an inch from her face and Caroline tensed again, her breath catching in her throat once more. He was silent as he stared down at her, close enough that their noses briefly brushed. His eyes were nothing short of vicious and for a moment Caroline feared she might have miscalculated and he was about to kill her after all. But then in that strange change again, in the blink of an eye he went from dangerous to amused, throwing back his head with a laugh.

"Bold choice, sweetheart." He said, circling her before pausing to stand behind her. "I'll tell you what. I'll keep my questions to myself for now." Klaus leaned in closer over her shoulder, his breath dancing across her neck as he spoke. "But you're a mystery I'll solve one way or another Caroline."

And Klaus meant every word of it. This girl had surprised him more in the last few hours than anyone else had in decades. He wasn't sure what to make of it yet but she was at his disposal and Klaus had all the time in the world to figure her out. For now he had other matters to attend to, so he took Caroline's wrist in his hand, pulling her over to the door and swinging it open.

He gestured down the hall and a guard strode over to them, completely ignoring Caroline as he stood before Klaus. She watched with perceptive eyes as Klaus leaned forward and spoke under his breath to the guard.

The man just nodded before reaching out and grabbing Caroline's forearm.

Klaus growled, putting a hand to the guard's chest. "Careful mate." His voice was low and threatening and the guard dropped Caroline's arm immediately.

"Follow him." Klaus said, turning back to her.

"Or what?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He arched an eyebrow as he looked down at her. "Are you asking to spend the night here with me sweetheart?" Klaus lifted a hand to trace a finger down her arm as he spoke and Caroline jumped away.

He let out that same infuriating laugh and when the guard started walking, Caroline raced after him, fighting the urge to look back over her shoulder at Klaus.

The guard didn't touch her again as he led her down a number of stairwells and around a maze of corners. Caroline could tell when they reached their destination. The lush, lavish surroundings faded into a simpler, dull backdrop. As he led her down this hall, Caroline could see rows of cots separated by curtains. Some of the cots held occupants while others were empty. This didn't look like solitary and Caroline guessed she had Klaus to thank for that.

"I've got another one for you." The guard spoke and Caroline looked around him at the woman he was talking to.

The woman stood out starkly against her surroundings, dressed in form-fitting leather from head to toe and heels that looked like they could double as weapons. She looked her up and down with discerning brown eyes. "She smells delicious. I can think of a few people who'd like to take a bite out of her."

"No." The guard said emphatically. "She's not to be touched. Klaus' orders."

The woman pouted before rolling her eyes. "Fine."

"Don't forget it." The guard's voice was menacing as he stepped closer to the woman.

"I said _fine_." The woman huffed before turning to look at Caroline again. "Come along."

The brunette spun on her heel to walk away and Caroline followed her.

"The rules are simple." She spoke without looking back to see if Caroline was listening. "You do what I say, when I say it. And I don't care if you've caught the eye of an Original, you play nice with the others."

Caroline stayed silent, taking in her surroundings. They'd walked by all the curtain covered cubicles and into a wide open space filled with a bunch of tables. People, and Caroline could tell they were humans, sat at the tables eating. They were all dressed the same way – black stretch pants and a black tee-shirt. In the back of her mind Caroline made a joke about how they all looked like masseurs and she would have laughed if the situation wasn't so grave.

With a final warning to not cause any further trouble, the woman strode off leaving Caroline standing there between the hallway and the room. The door the woman exited through was guarded by a man and she knew there was another guard at the other end of the hall that she'd been brought in through.

Caroline was still standing in place, looking around, when she heard her name called. A second later, Elena appeared in front of her, flinging her arms around the blonde. She'd been thrown down here hours ago and had begun to worry she wouldn't be seeing Caroline again.

"Come on." Elena whispered, eyeing the nearest guard before pulling Caroline further into the room, weaving around the tables.

Caroline followed Elena to a table off toward the corner. She slid onto the bench beside Elena, resting her hands on the table. Caroline wasn't sure what she had been expecting but it wasn't what she saw. There were at least forty people down here in the confines below the Cathedral. Forty humans. Prisoners, servants. _Slaves_.

Elena's voice snapped Caroline out of her musings. "How was solitary? Why'd they let you go? What do we do next?" She shot off the questions at rapid fire speed, pouring out all the anxiety that had built up over the last few hours.

Caroline shot Elena a look, shaking her head no. The last thing they needed was to be overheard by one of the vampire guards. Instead she answered the questions as best she could at the moment. "I never made it to solitary. It's a complicated story but none of that matters. I'm here now. How are you holding up?" Caroline asked softly.

"I'm fine." Elena said, though she was the furthest thing from it. "I'm just glad you're okay." If she had lost Caroline, Elena would never make it out of here at all let alone with Jeremy. Not to mention the guilt she would feel. She had dragged Caroline into this mess and if it cost the girl her life, Elena wasn't sure she'd be able to live with herself.

Caroline placed her hand over Elena's, throwing the other girl a reassuring look. "We're both okay."_ For now_.

But they wouldn't be for much longer. Klaus had mentioned the guards thought the two girls were with the HC and while his strange interest in Caroline had bought them a bit of time, she was sure they'd face the consequences for their actions sooner or later. They needed to find Jeremy before that happened.

Caroline took another long glance around the room. No windows, concrete walls and only one door where a guard was stationed. Her mind was searching for some mode of escape when Caroline's eyes landed on a familiar face. A face she hadn't seen in years.

"Vicki." Caroline barely whispered the word, still not entirely sure what she was seeing was real. "Vicki." She repeated, standing up now and weaving her way across the room to a table at the very back where a girl sat alone.

Elena watched Caroline in shock for a moment before jumping up to follow her.

"Vicki." Caroline said the girl's name again as she slid onto the bench, barely noticing Elena taking a seat beside her.

The girl finally looked up, her eyes going wide as she took in Caroline. In a flash she was leaning over the table, her arms wrapping around Caroline in a tight hug. It was a few moments before she finally pulled away and sat back down, her eyes still showing her clear surprise.

When the girl finally spoke her voice was raspy and low. "Caroline."

The two girls stared at each other in silence. Matt's little sister had disappeared years ago and they'd all thought she was dead. Seeing the girl there after all these years was a shock to Caroline's system and she finally broke the silence.

"How?" Caroline asked in a soft voice.

Vicki glanced down at the table, scratching idly at her wrist, before looking back up at Caroline. "How's Matty?"

It wasn't a question Caroline could answer. She couldn't tell Vicki that she had no idea if her brother was alive or dead. So instead she asked again, "Vicki how did you end up _here_?"

Vicki kept scratching at her wrist and Caroline glanced down at it to see it was marred by slightly faded scars. She looked back up to catch the other girl's eye and Vicki finally started speaking.

"I wanted to see the city." Her voice still held that low, raspy quality and Caroline had to strain her ears to hear. "You hear all these stories ya know – about myths and monsters. I wanted to see it for myself and you know Matty would never have agreed so I ran. I ran away."

They'd wondered for a long time if Vicki had run away or been taken somehow. The not knowing had eaten Matt up inside. But Caroline didn't say anything, waiting for the girl to continue.

"I met some people." Vicki said, shrugging as her eyes drifted back down to the table, her fingers still clawing at her left wrist. "They showed me a high. A really good high." Her leg bounced repeatedly under the table as she talked about it and it was pretty clear the girl was jonesing. It explained the scars on her wrist that she seemed to find so fascinating.

"Vicki, how did you get here?" Caroline asked, reaching a hand across the table to take Vicki's hand, stopping the incessant scratching.

Vicki looked up from the table to catch Caroline's gaze. "They took me." She muttered with a shrug, like she was already resigned to her fate. "About a year ago, I was on my way to get some…stuff" Vicki trailed off momentarily before continuing. "Then this van pulled up and they just…took me."

Caroline's eyes widened but Vicki continued on before the other girl could interrupt.

"It's not that bad, really."

"Vicki." The way Caroline said her name was a sad sigh.

"It's not." Vicki repeated though she knew there was no way the other girl would understand. Caroline had no idea what the streets of New Orleans were like for a human.

The streets of New Orleans were never safe for the small human population that remained in the heart of the city. If the hunger or the cold didn't get to you first then some supernatural creature definitely would. You learned to lurk in the shadows, hiding in the corners of abandoned places. You learned to avoid the confrontations that inevitably broke out between species in the middle of the streets. And you learned to never, ever, go to the French Quarter because humans who crossed those street lines never made it back out. Vicki stayed afloat pickpocketing and stealing but most of the money or valuables she managed to scrounge up, she spent trying to chase that high that would momentarily help her forget her grim surroundings. That was her life before she'd been snatched off the streets by vampires and brought here to serve them. At first it had been terrifying but after the fourth night spent in a more or less comfortable cot with food in her belly, Vicki thought it wasn't all that bad. It was like having a job with benefits. Sure it was a job you couldn't quit and yes going to work every day meant that you could potentially be sucked dry but as far as surviving went – this was much better than the streets had been. The only thing she missed was that high.

Still, Vicki knew not everyone here felt the same way she did. Most of them had been taken from the streets but some people weren't. Those people had lives and loved ones to get back to. They were prisoners who wanted escape. She'd seen some of those people try to make it out. It never ended well for them.

Despite her earlier warning to Elena, Caroline spoke without thinking, whispering sternly beneath her breath to Vicki. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Vicki's eyes widened and her head snapped to the side, looking off toward where the guard stood. "Shh," She whispered, turning back to face Caroline again, "are you crazy?! They'll kill you for so much as thinking it."

Caroline glanced toward the guard once before turning back to Vicki and changing the topic. "What is this place?" She asked, gesturing out with one hand.

"The base." Vicki responded, relaxing a little again when the conversation switched away from talk of escape. "It's where they keep us when we're not working."

"What do you mean 'working'?" Caroline asked.

Vicki shrugged again. "Doing things around the place like cleaning and stuff." Her gaze shot back to Caroline's. "Sometimes we feed them."

Caroline stared back at Vicki in silence. The girl sitting across from her wasn't the vivacious, spirited girl from her memories. She seemed lost and defeated and it made Caroline's heart hurt. For Vicki. For Matt.

It was Elena that broke the silence.

"Have you seen a boy? About 6 feet, dark hair, muscular. His name's Jeremy." Her voice was rushed as she spoke.

Vicki shook her head. "No, sorry."

"This is my friend Elena." Caroline explained, looking back and forth between the two girls.

Caroline had been so caught up in seeing Vicki again she had momentarily forgotten how much harder her job had become. Because she wasn't leaving Vicki here to rot and despite what the girl thought, Caroline would be getting them all out of here. Elena, Jeremy and Vicki. Caroline would find a way and no one was getting left behind.

* * *

It'd been hours but the taste of Caroline still lingered on Klaus' tongue as he strode out the front door of The Cathedral. He inhaled a deep -albeit unnecessary –breath, enjoying the cool night air. Klaus was still moving when a body flashed forward and appeared beside him. The daytime guards had long since been replaced with the night vampire guards and there certainly wouldn't be any attempted breaches on their watch.

"Did you need a car sir?" The vampire asked, still walking in step beside Klaus.

Klaus shook his head. "I fancy a nice walk."

"Did you want company sir?"

Klaus just laughed. They both knew he was asking if Klaus needed a guard, just like they both knew Klaus was the very last vampire on earth that would need protecting. But the man was only doing his job so Klaus shook his head no a final time and the guard dropped back.

As he made his way toward the heart of the city, Klaus used the time to think. There was, of course, the prophecy to attend to. Bonnie had been of no more help today than she'd been yesterday. And now that Elijah had acted against their better interests, the witches certainly wouldn't be in the mood to help Klaus. Luckily for him, the witches weren't the only ones with the gift of foresight.

Klaus couldn't stop the smirk that curled onto his lips as he strolled the streets of New Orleans. The sun was down and with it gone, the streets had come alive again. Vampires zipped from rooftop to rooftop, dropping down from the sky with low ringing snarls. Both light and dark fae spilled out of popular establishments – drunken laughter mingling with all the other boisterous sounds. There was magic in the air. Power. There was no mistaking that New Orleans was the supernatural capital. And there was no mistaking who he was either. Vampires, fae, witches and all the like parted as Klaus walked – his overwhelming presence creating a clear path in front of him as people ducked to get out of the way. Whispers and murmurs followed behind him but Klaus paid it no mind, well accustomed to it all.

Smirk still in place, he entered the French Quarter. The crowds here were even louder, rowdier. Klaus watched with disinterest as a vampire and an elf got into a skirmish off to the side. If he were placing bets, Klaus would put his money on the elf. The vampire was clearly an eager newborn and elves, despite their calm and noble demeanor, weren't the type to be trifled with. Light fae elves might practice more self-control but dark fae elves weren't exactly known to pull punches when it came to a fight.

Turning away, Klaus continued down the street until he reached the shop he was looking for. It was a tiny hole in the wall and the sign hung on the door read 'closed'. Ignoring that, Klaus tugged the door open and calmly walked inside. His eyes landed on a slender woman standing behind a counter, counting money.

"We're closed." She spoke without looking up but when her gaze finally trailed to him, the woman froze.

His lips curled into a slow, half-smile. "I'm looking for an old friend."

The woman appeared to recover, the instinctive fear fleeing her gaze as she tugged on a mask of calm firmness. "She's not here."

Klaus strolled slowly forward as he spoke. "Wrong answer, love."

The woman twitched and despite her calm exterior, Klaus could smell her fear and he relished the scent. Finally she turned away from him, walking toward a back stairwell. His grin grew as Klaus trailed behind her, keeping the slightest distance between them as he followed her down the stairs.

The basement they entered was dark with the exception of a few lit candles. The woman gave him a final look before turning around and sprinting back up the stairs. Klaus ignored her departure, instead turning his attention to another figure that sat in the lotus position, her back facing him. An embroidered scarf covered the woman's head and trailed down her back to pool on the floor beneath her.

"I knew you'd come." A low voice echoed through the basement as Klaus took a few more steps forward.

"Ah, then you already know why I'm here, oracle."

The woman whipped her head to the side, looking at Klaus over her shoulder. But it wasn't normal eyes that stared back at him; instead grey clouds hid beneath her eyelids. This particular oracle was one of few creatures that pre-dated Klaus himself. She'd gone by a lot of names over the millennia but the last time Klaus had seen her, they'd called her Pythia.

She was silent for a few long moments as she stared at him. Finally she said, barely above a whisper, "come then." Pythia turned her head back around and Klaus moved forward, crossing the room to her.

He stepped in front of her and glanced down at the bowl she held on her lap between her crossed legs. Shallow and somewhat oval, the bowl was made of gold and had indecipherable etchings carved into it. With a quiet calm, Pythia lifted the bowl from her lap and placed it gently on the floor in front of her. She ran one solitary finger around the edges of the bowl and Klaus watched as it filled with water.

After another moment, he finally moved to sit on the floor across from her. Pythia held a hand out and Klaus knew what she was waiting for. When he'd come here, he knew her help would come at a price. Memories – and the knowledge that came with them. Pythia had access to the future but what she craved had always been the past. So she took memories from those who came to her for help and from those memories she drew knowledge of different times and places and people. Klaus had known this already but paused to quickly reconsider. There were things in his head, memories that were better left kept with him alone. He couldn't control what she would see and Klaus had a number of secrets buried in his past. Still, it was a price he was willing to pay for a glimpse into the future.

So he rolled up his sleeve, held his arm out and watched as she gripped his forearm in her hand. With her other hand, Pythia raked one long nail deep into his skin, a trail of blood running down his arm. Her eyes drifted shut and Klaus watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed in deep. Her nail drove deeper and deeper into his arm, almost to the bone, before Pythia finally dropped his arm, her eyes popping open. Those grey clouds stared back at him as a tiny smile formed on her lips. Klaus didn't want to know what she had seen of his past –he'd paid his price and now he wanted answers.

"Shall we move this along?" He asked casually, rolling down his sleeve as his skin quickly stitched itself back together.

With her lips still curled into that small smile, Pythia gestured to the bowl of water. Klaus watched the flickering of the candles reflected in the golden bowl for a moment before lowering his hands, submerging just the tips of his fingers in the water. She lowered her fingers in as well and Klaus watched as her eyes drifted shut again. The rise and fall of her chest stopped and the oracle was entirely still as she got lost in whatever it was she was seeing. None of this was out of the ordinary. The abnormal part came when Pythia began to shake. First a slow ripple that ran through her body that quickly escalated until she was practically vibrating across from Klaus. He watched with wary eyes now, unsure of whether or not he should attempt to pull the oracle from her vision. The decision was taken out of his hands when Pythia snapped out of it.

Her eyes shot open but they weren't the grey clouds they had been just moments before. The clouds had cleared and her irises were visible. For the first time ever, Klaus saw her true eye color. Blue – they were electric blue. He didn't have a chance to contemplate the strangeness of it before she blinked and suddenly the clouds were back – only this time they were black. Oval, fathomless black pools stared back at him. Before he could speak, Pythia was lifting her hands and what felt like a strong gust of wind sent Klaus flying backwards, his body colliding with the wall.

With a growl, Klaus leapt to his feet at the same time Pythia did. He'd barely begun to move forward when she raised her hands again, another gust of wind propelling him back. Klaus had no idea what she had seen but whatever it was, it was enough to put the old and powerful oracle on the attack.

"Come on, love. Play nice." Klaus said, gritting his teeth against the invisible force that was pushing him.

Pythia ignored him, raising her hands higher and another stronger push hit Klaus, crushing him between the wall and its force. And so he decided to stop playing nice. Klaus let out a low growl and his eyes changed color as he fought past the invisible barrier and rushed forward. He flashed across the room, arm already outstretched to rip the oracle's heart from her chest but just as he reached her, Pythia disappeared in a wisp of smoke, reappearing behind him. Klaus barely had a moment to turn around before he was flying through the air again, the force of it slamming him into the wall hard enough to leave a crater in the bricks. He growled again, landing in a crouched position and snapping his head up to look at her.

Klaus roared as he rushed forward again, pushing against the air that was trying to pin him down. He watched as smoke began to appear around the oracle, circling her in grey swirls. It was as if a tornado had entered the room. All the candles extinguished and the room was plunged into darkness. The darkness didn't obstruct Klaus' vision and he could still clearly make out the form of the oracle as she lowered a crushing weight on him.

He roared again, pushing past the invisible barrier and flashing across the room to where the oracle stood. This time when she disappeared into thin air Klaus was prepared and he spun around at the same time, plunging his hand into her chest in one fluid motion. The tornado in the room weakened as he tightened his grip around her heart. The oracle's mouth fell open in a soundless scream and Klaus looked into those deep black pools one more time before yanking her heart out. The room went still immediately as her lifeless body dropped to the floor with a thump. Still growling low in his throat, Klaus dropped the heart onto her body.

He glanced once more around the wrecked room before storming up the stairs and out of the shop. As he made his way back to The Cathedral, Klaus found himself in a far worse mood than when he had left. The walk back did nothing to clear his head as Klaus tried to work out what the oracle could have possibly seen in his future that would drive her to attempt to kill him. Not that she would have succeeded. He was unkillable – a true immortal. Klaus only wished there had been a way to subdue her long enough to torture some answers out of her. The more elusive this prophecy became, the more all-consuming it was. He needed answers.

Klaus was still brooding as he stormed through the halls of The Cathedral, ignoring the people that rushed to get out of his way. He was sure he looked far more dangerous than usual. Klaus was certainly in the mood to take heads off solely for the purpose of blowing off steam. Which is precisely why he was in no mood to chat when his brother appeared in front of him.

"I see you got a little messy with your food." Elijah said, glancing dismissively down at Klaus' still bloody hands.

With his brother in his path, Klaus stopped walking and let out an annoyed huff. "Actually, I ran into some trouble with an oracle. As you can see, it did not end well for her." He said, lifting his bloody hands in the air and waving them.

Elijah's face turned gravely serious and he took a few steps closer to Klaus, speaking barely above a whisper. "You killed the French Quarter oracle?" Elijah wasn't sure why he asked when he already knew the answer.

"Yes and it wasn't easy might I add. A lot of power in that one." Klaus moved to walk around Elijah but his brother grabbed his arm, swiftly pulling him into a nearby room before Klaus could protest.

Elijah shut the door as Klaus looked around, realizing they were in one of the libraries.

"Niklaus, what have you done?" Elijah spoke slowly and in a low voice as he paced forward.

Klaus let out an exaggerated huff as he strode over to the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a drink. "I've already told you brother. I killed an oracle. More specifically, the French Quarter oracle though she was the only one in the vicinity so I'm sure you could deduce –"

Elijah cut him off, his voice slightly louder now. "Have you any idea the trouble this will cause?"

"It was self-defense." Klaus exclaimed, gesturing out with both arms before lifting the glass to his lips and taking a long swig. "And I'll remind you that if you hadn't interrupted my deal with Sheila, the witches would be appeased, I wouldn't have needed the oracle and she wouldn't be dead right now. Some might even say this was your entire fault brother." Klaus spoke nonchalantly as he refilled his glass.

"Did anyone see you there?" Elijah asked slowly, as he paced the room, ignoring his younger brother's senseless taunts.

"Only the clerk at the front desk." Klaus responded, leaning back against the cabinet and cradling his glass of scotch in his hand. "Shall I hunt her down and take care of her as well?" He asked with a smirk.

Elijah shook his head no. "I'll send someone else to do it. Your hands are dirty enough already."

Letting out a hollow laugh, Klaus took in the look on his brother's face. That familiar look of remorse and resignation. "Ah I see it weighs on your soul, brother. The honorable Elijah - sanctioning the cruel but necessary murder of an innocent bystander. How _do_ you sleep at night?"

Elijah stopped pacing and turned to glare at his brother. "After centuries I'm well accustomed to cleaning up your messes."

Klaus just smirked, polishing off his scotch and slamming the glass down on the table. "Well the sun should be up soon. I'm off to rest. Killing a millennia old oracle really takes a lot out of you." He clapped Elijah on the shoulder as he passed by him, swinging the door open and striding back out into the hall.

There was no doubt in Klaus' mind that Elijah would do whatever was necessary to insure the oracle's death wasn't traced back to the family. If it was, the mages faction would rise in uproar and that wasn't something Elijah would let happen. So Klaus found it easy to put the matter out of his mind and focus instead on what had started the whole mess. Sooner or later, he'd find someone who would give him the answers he needed.

* * *

Caroline hadn't realized how tired she was until she went to lay down on her designated cot. Saying she'd had a long day would be a gross understatement. It had only been 24 hours since they left that motel. Caroline tried not to linger too long on the thought of Matt and the wendigos. She tried not to think about the guards she'd injured and the punishment she'd eventually face for that. She tried not to think about her encounter with that original vampire. Caroline tried to clear her mind of everything but the need to get out.

For efficiency purposes, the vampires kept the humans on a similar sleeping pattern. So the sun was rising in the sky when they'd all scuttled off to their cots to get some sleep before facing another day of work. Though sleep tugged at her bones, Caroline laid awake in bed and waited patiently for the base to quiet down. She hoped the vampire guards would be switched out for daytime guards but since they were indoors and protected from the sun, Caroline couldn't be too sure. So she waited and waited and when it finally seemed quiet, Caroline slipped out of her cot. She poked her head around the curtain that enclosed off her little space and when she saw no one there, Caroline began tiptoeing down the hall. She reached the common area where all the tables were pushed together and her eyes quickly shot to the one door in the room. She wasn't foolish enough to think there wasn't a guard on the other side of that door.

Caroline stood in the middle of the open space and looked around. Being in a basement with no windows definitely limited the options for escape. Walking to the end of the room, Caroline began to feel along the walls. A laundry chute, a trap door, a chink in the armor – she wasn't sure what she was looking for but she needed a way out. After a few moments of doing that, Caroline gave up on the walls and looked up at the ceiling. She felt a tiny spark of hope when she noticed they were tiled. Climbing onto a table as quietly as she could, Caroline stretched her arms up and pushed at the ceiling tile. It didn't budge. She moved a few feet over and pushed at the next one. And the next. And the next. Until she finally found one that loosened. She pushed the ceiling tile forward and peeked up into the dark space. It was narrow but still wide enough for her to crawl through – if only she could figure out where it led. Caroline heard voices in the distance and her heart pounded as she shoved the ceiling tile back into place.

She jumped from the table and landed like a cat, quiet on her feet, before standing up straight again. She threw a quick look at the door before turning and racing back to her little curtained cubicle. It wasn't until she was under the thin sheet that Caroline felt her heart rate slow down. One loose ceiling tile wasn't much but it was something and with that, Caroline finally let herself fall asleep.

It felt like her eyes had barely shut when she was being shaken awake again. She blinked her eyes open slowly to see Elena standing over her. The girl had changed out of the clothes she'd travelled in and was now wearing the same all black attire as everyone else down here. Caroline's eyes trailed to the foot of the bed and she saw similar garments sitting there waiting for her.

"Come on." Elena said. "We're being summoned."

Caroline groaned as the weight of the past few days rushed back to her. She stood up and as Elena slid back the curtain to leave, Caroline caught sight of all the humans heading down the hall. She changed quickly into the clothes left for her, happy to get out of the bloodied clothes she'd been travelling in for days. Once she was changed, Caroline slipped out of her little cell and found Elena.

The two stood in the far back as everyone crowded in front of the same woman Caroline had met yesterday – the woman she was supposed to 'obey'. Caroline watched the woman break everyone into groups, sounding almost bored as she read off a list of chores that needed to be done.

Wary of vampire hearing, Caroline turned to Elena and shared a wordless glance. Until they found Jeremy and found a way out, they would have to play along. Elena gave a slight nod that Caroline returned. She'd just turned to face the woman up front again when she heard Elena whisper beside her.

"Jeremy?" Elena's voice was soft and low as she squinted at a figure in the distance being dragged down one end of the hall to the door nearest to them. "Jeremy!" Her voice was louder now when she realized the boy being dragged by two guards was definitely her brother. "JEREMY!" She shoved through the crowd to get closer to the hall, watching as the guards drew closer with her brother in hand.

"Elena?" Jeremy looked up with startled eyes when he saw his sister. "Elena!" He shouted now, finding renewed energy to trash and kick against the hold his guards had on him.

Before she could move any closer to him, Elena felt a hand tug her back. The entire world had fallen away as she saw her brother and Elena didn't notice all the eyes that had turned to watch the frenzied exchange.

The guards holding Jeremy ignored his struggle, still pulling him along and in the next moment, he disappeared from sight as they tugged him through the other door at the end of the hall.

"Jeremy." His name came out as a shocked whisper now as Elena watched him disappear behind that door and instinctively moved to follow him. But the hand on her elbow pulled her back with more force now.

"Pull yourself together." Caroline whispered harshly in Elena's ear. Her eyes darting around the room as everyone stared at the commotion being made.

"They have Jeremy." She responded, her eyes never leaving the door and every bone in her body telling her to run after him.

Caroline tugged Elena closer to her again. "I see that. Look at me. Elena,_ look at me_."

Elena snapped out of it and turned her watery gaze to Caroline. Caroline tried to reassure the other girl with her eyes._ Everything's going to be fine. Calm down, blend in, and wait for me to find us a way out of here._

Elena's breathing slowed as she stared back at Caroline. Jeremy was gone, again, and the only way to get him back was to stick to the plan. The plan right now was to not draw attention to themselves – something she'd just failed exponentially at. Elena gave a slight nod to Caroline as she worked to get her breathing under control – inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. At least Jeremy was still alive. He was here and he was alive.

Caroline watched as some modicum of calm returned to her friend's eyes. The good news was she'd stopped Elena from sprinting after Jeremy and getting herself killed. The bad news was Caroline had seen Jeremy and the moment her eyes landed on him it happened again – that cold, steely shiver down her back. Death was coming and Caroline wasn't sure how much more time Jeremy had left.

She finally looked away from Elena and Caroline saw the woman in charge glaring over at them. The little outburst had interrupted her flow and she wanted to know why. But she didn't get a chance to ask before another interruption came along.

Caroline was spared having to come up with a believable excuse for Elena's outburst by the arrival of the same guard that had brought her down here yesterday.

"You." He said, pointing through the crowd directly at Caroline. "Come."

"Excuse me?" The woman crossed her arms over her chest and tapped one heel on the floor as she glared at the intruding guard.

The guard just snarled at her before turning back to Caroline. "You. Come. Now."

Caroline looked from the guard, to the woman and then back to Elena.

"Stay calm, play along." Caroline whispered, throwing the girl one last look before walking forward toward the guard that had come for her.

He took her elbow and pulled her out of the door with him, ignoring the woman's snide comments thrown at his back.

Caroline didn't bother trying to engage the man in conversation as he led her down a different set of halls from yesterday. It took Caroline a moment to realize where they were going. She wasn't finally being taken to solitary and punished for her 'crimes' as she feared. No, Caroline recognized the hall they were walking down now and she knew he was taking her back to that same room from yesterday.

She was finally turning to say something to the guard when he opened the door, shoved her in and shut the door behind her.

Caroline let out an infuriated huff, spinning around and looking for her captor. But Klaus wasn't here. Instead the room was empty just as it had been when she was thrown in here yesterday. Except yesterday, Caroline had been too panicked to think or see clearly. Now she took a moment to take in her surroundings properly. The room was larger than a small apartment.

A freestanding fireplace and sunken living area with dark leather couches and armchairs was at one end. A black wrought-iron framed bed the size of a boat was at the other end, piled high with pillows and quilts and a wet bar was tucked into an alcove across from it. Another wall was lined with large windows and Caroline's mind flashed back to her near death fall yesterday.

Turning her head again, Caroline's eyes landed on open doors that led to a walk-in closet and a bathroom. The entire room was such a stark contrast to the dilapidation and ruin she knew existed just outside the walls of this fortress.

As she stood in the middle of the room, Caroline felt her anxiety grow. She didn't have to try the front doorknob to know she was locked in and any moment now the devil himself would come to join her.

* * *

_Stay calm, play along. _

Elena repeated the mantra to herself as she walked down the hall, her arms full of linens as she tried to be invisible. The guy who was supposed to be showing her the ropes had thrust these blankets into her hands, told her to change the sheets on one end of the hall before he disappeared to do the rooms at the other end of the hall. So far so good.

_Stay calm, play along._

Elena shut one door behind her before moving to the next room. She didn't get a chance to open the door when a hard body slammed into hers. Her scream was muffled by a hand covering her mouth as Elena found herself shoved backwards into a tiny, cramped space. The door clicked shut and the hand fell away from her mouth. Elena parted her lips to scream again but before she could, a pair of hungry lips came crashing down on hers.

For a second Elena was so shocked she forgot to scream. Calloused hands trailed down her arms and Elena stayed frozen in place.

Finally her attacker pulled back and Elena got a good look at inky black hair and gleaming blue eyes.

"Katherine." The man said, brushing a strand of Elena's hair back behind her ear.

"What?" Elena barely managed to mutter, still lost in her own confusion.

The man looked her up and down, his lips curling into a salacious grin. "Is this another one of your games? Are you the helpless servant girl and I'm the big, bad vampire? I have to admit I didn't think that'd be your style but…" The man shrugged and lowered his head as if to kiss her again.

Elena snapped out of if, lifting her hands to his chest and shoving him back. "I'm not Katherine."

"Mmm, roleplay. I like it." He laughed as he leaned forward again and dipped his head to run his lips along the shell of her ear.

When his lips moved toward hers again, Elena reacted instinctively, curling her hand into a fist and punching him in the face. The hit probably hurt her more than it did him but Elena took advantage of his momentary shock to rush past him, fling the door open and take off running down the hall. She had punched a vampire. She had punched a vampire and ran and now he was going to chase her. He was going to chase her and eat her. Elena swallowed back her panic as her feet pounded the carpeted floor, running with no real direction but knowing that she had to get away.

* * *

Damon lifted a hand to his jaw and rubbed it lightly. She punched him. Katherine had punched him, though admittedly she didn't put even a fraction of her strength behind it. It was really more of a swat than anything else but Damon hadn't expected her to take the game quite that far. He stepped out of the closet with every intention of following after her when a hand reached out and snagged him before he could. He turned to face his brother, stopping short of rolling his eyes. Stefan wore his extra brooding expression and that was hardly good news.

Stefan's eyes flitted from Damon to the figure that disappeared around the corner at the end of the hall. He'd known for some time now about Damon's little affair with Katherine and his brother was playing with fire. Katherine would never leave Elijah for him and Stefan had told Damon as much but his brother had merely laughed and shrugged it off. Still, being caught with the wife of an original out in the open was not something Damon could afford to deal with. Especially not right now. Not with what they had planned.

"We need to talk." Stefan said, fixing his older brother with a serious look.

Damon looked up and down the hall before tapping his ear, indicated vampire hearing. "Not here, brother."

Stefan just nodded and the two turned to walk down the hall. They made idle chit chat as they passed other people until finally they walked out a back entrance. The Salvatores made their way further from The Cathedral and closer to the forest that lined the back of the fortress. Even then, Damon made sure to listen for anyone nearby. The conversation they were about to have wasn't one they wanted idle ears to pick up on.

Damon looked around once more before turning to face his brother again. The General. For Stefan, it wasn't just a position – it had become somewhat of a moniker. As one of the few members of the original family's inner circle, Stefan led the vampire army and had done so for years since Klaus had appointed him. Some people thought he was too gentle for the position but those people had never seen him turn into the ripper. Most people that encountered the ripper didn't exactly live to tell the tale. But it was his usually calm disposition that made his troops look up to him – respect him. But they didn't quite fear him – not the way they feared his brother. Because Damon had a moniker of his own. The Enforcer.

Another member of the inner circle, the enforcer wasn't someone you wanted to come knocking on your door. Because while the originals turned to Stefan to keep the peace with the army, they turned to Damon to do the really bloody work. The kind of nasty, underhanded business that didn't require an entire army but just the touch of one sadistic, ruthless vampire.

Both Salvatores had been taken in decades ago by the original family and shaped into exactly what the originals needed them to be. What the original family hadn't counted on was ambition. You give a man a taste for power and he would inevitably want more. The Salvatores wanted to be more than the General and the Enforcer – they wanted to be kings.

"What is it?" Damon asked, keeping his voice low though he was certain nobody was in the vicinity to hear them.

"We need to change some things. The plan with Rebekah, it's not going to work." Stefan spoke softly, fixing his gaze on his brother.

Damon's eyes widened and he stared back at his brother. "Are you telling me you can't turn on the charm? What did she reject you?" Damon found that hard to believe.

Stefan didn't respond, just fixed his mouth in a firm scowl. "We can do this without her."

Damon stepped closer, pressing a finger into his brother's chest. "No, we can't. We've already gotten as close as we can get and the only way we're getting any closer is if you get in her pants." He spat, getting right to the point. "So turn up the charm, flash those pearly whites, pour your tiny little soul out to her, or whatever it is you do to get women to look past that eternally gloomy face of yours and get it done!" Damon snapped.

Stefan slapped his brother's finger away, still glaring at him. The problem wasn't that he thought Rebekah wouldn't fall for him. The problem was that he might fall for _her_ first. When Damon had first suggested making a play for the proverbial throne months ago, Stefan had thought his brother was crazy. But the longer and longer he watched the original family rule, the more Stefan thought that he could do better. So he agreed to go along with Damon's plan- a plan that hinged on Stefan getting closer to Rebekah. It had been easy enough at first because Rebekah was all too open to his advances. But somewhere along the line things had gotten complicated.

Stefan understood people – it had always been a knack of his – but he didn't understand Rebekah. And he wanted to. He wanted to understand her very badly. Because beneath that hard exterior was a girl Stefan found fascinating.

"We can find another way." Stefan said, breaking the silence that had fallen.

Damon balled his hands into fists and swallowed back a groan. "Let me explain something to you. There are few things in this world that can take down an original vampire. Now since neither you nor I know the location of a white oak tree, that leaves a couple of magical daggers. Daggers that we," he gestured between them, "have no clue how to find. So put on your big boy pants," he clapped Stefan on the shoulder, "and find out where they keep them hidden."

Stefan shrugged Damon's hand off his shoulder with a glare. "What makes you so sure Rebekah knows where they are anyway? The only person who knows for sure is Klaus."

Damon arched his eyebrows. "Well do you think you could get him to drop his pants for you? Because if not, the plan remains the same. Rebekah."

Stefan clenched his hands behind his back to keep from strangling his brother. Damon was hard-headed and hungry for power, he couldn't see clearly. Stefan would find another way. And with that in mind, he spun on his heel and strode away from his brother.

* * *

Caroline lost track of how long she'd been left alone in this room. It was almost worse than having him here – the waiting for him to arrive. Her emotions jumped from nervous to resolute to anxious to hopeless, all while she stood there and waited. She'd gone into first the closet and then the bathroom to search for anything to use as a weapon. All Caroline had come up with was a razor, which wouldn't do much good against a vampire. Still she clutched it in a hand hidden behind her back as she waited and waited.

When the door finally creaked open, her blood pressure skyrocketed. Looking at him sent sharp bolts of electricity racing down her spine and crawling against her skin.

"Hello again, love." Klaus said with an infuriating smirk as he strolled into the room and shut the door behind him. "You know, you're free to make yourself comfortable." He gestured around the room to the leather couches and the bed but Caroline remained standing stock-still in the middle of the room.

Klaus just shrugged, a low laugh rumbling forward from his throat. "Suit yourself, sweetheart." He tilted his head to the side as he watched her. Oddly enough, Klaus had been looking forward to this moment all day as he'd gone about his kingly duties. He'd even refrained from feeding because the only blood he'd been craving was hers.

Eyes still locked on hers, Klaus began to stride forward slowly. He'd only made it a few steps when Caroline pulled her hand from behind her back.

"Don't come any closer." Her voice was stern as she held the sharp edge of one of his razor's to her neck.

Two suicide threats in as many days, Klaus was beginning to get the impression that she didn't value her life very much. That thought irked Klaus far more than it should have and he let out a low growl, his smile falling away.

"Unless you want to drink my blood off your nice, hardwood floors." Caroline spat, digging the razor in just enough to make her point.

Klaus schooled his face into one of impassivity. "Are you going to be this uncooperative every time?" He sighed theatrically.

Caroline just narrowed her eyes at him. She'd had a lot of time to think while she'd been waiting and there was still the Jeremy problem to deal with. "That depends." She replied, careful to keep her voice firm.

"On what exactly?" Klaus took a step forward and Caroline took one back.

"You want my cooperation, I want a favor." She said.

Klaus froze in his tracks, his curiosity piqued. He wasn't exactly known to be a charitable man and people didn't tend to ask him for favors. "What?"

"There's a boy. A hunter. Jeremy Gilbert." Caroline began slowly, watching him with wary eyes.

Klaus interrupted before she could continue. "Ah, so your motives are revealed at last. Come to rescue a lover?" He wasn't sure why the notion displeased him so much but Klaus didn't let it show on his face.

Caroline made no moves to correct him and instead demanded, "let him go." She knew there was no way the original vampire would grant that outlandish request but Caroline intended to start big and ask for something more reasonable. She didn't need for him to free Jeremy; she just needed to buy Jeremy enough time for her to figure out a plan.

"No." Klaus' response was quick and firm. The hunter boy was as good as dead already and, in light of new information, Klaus merely saw this as an effective way to wipe out the competition. He tried not to dwell too long on why he was competing (Klaus didn't compete. If he saw something he wanted, he took it) for anything let alone a human girl. The semantics were irrelevant. He wouldn't be freeing her trapped lover.

Caroline waited for a few silent moments before saying. "Fine. Don't kill him."

Klaus eased forward stealthily, his eyes still on hers.

"Request denied. Sorry love."

"Please." Caroline added this time, her voice deceptively softer now. "Don't kill him. It's…important." She hoped to appeal to Klaus' curiosity about why one hunter could be of any importance to him. Of course Jeremy wasn't important aside from being the brother of a girl who she had promised a bold and daring and stupid rescue plan to. But Caroline could think on her feet and effectively lie through her teeth if it became necessary.

Klaus shook his head, still taking small steps forward. "We find ourselves at an impasse sweetheart, because I have no intention of lifting the death sentence on your imprisoned lover."

Caroline succumbed to her frustration, lost her calm for a second and snapped. "He's not my boyfriend!"

Distracted by her own little outburst, Caroline blinked and in a flash Klaus rushed forward and snatched the razor from her. There went her leverage.

He tossed it aside and stared at Caroline, closing the rest of the distance between them until their noses all but brushed each other. She froze where she stood, looking up at him as her pulse picked up speed.

The heavy silence continued for another heartbeat before Klaus spoke again. "Fine. Your friend stays alive. For now." Klaus leaned in, brushing a strand of silky hair back from her cheek. He ran his finger over the spot she had pressed the razor into, smudging that single drop of blood over her smooth skin. "Now," Klaus blew a light breath across her skin, "may I?" He kept his voice low and enticing. Asking – there was another new thing Klaus had never tried before this girl. It was another oddity he shoved to the back of his mind.

Caroline nodded lightly, those sparks of electricity dancing across her skin again.

Klaus leaned in closer, his lips brushing her neck. Even her skin tasted sweet and he found himself wondering what she tasted like in other places.

Caroline waited for a sharp bite that never came. Instead his fangs slid seamlessly into her flesh. Without realizing what she was doing, Caroline hands lifted to wrap around his biceps, her nails digging into his skin.

Wrapping his free arm around her waist, Klaus tugged Caroline closer to him as he fed. There weren't sufficient words to describe how delicious she tasted or how perfect that little gasp she let out was. Her nails digging into his arms only heightened Klaus' need and he found himself pulling harder at that delicate, little vein.

Like the first time it had happened, his bite was like electricity pouring through Caroline's veins. A tiny, logical part of her brain was crying out that this was all wrong but every other part of her went limp against him. Her blood was singing as he pulled it from her veins and Caroline felt that tiny, logical part of her brain collapse under the weight of the delirium creeping in.

It was a few long moments before Klaus summoned the strength to pull away. He'd have to be careful around this one. His normally impeccable control fled him and if Klaus didn't take care then he'd risk draining his precious new finding. And that would be a shame. To lose her so quickly after discovering her.

Though Klaus had retracted his fangs from her neck, he kept his arm wrapped around her waist. That logical part of Caroline's brain came back full force and she moved quickly out of his arms, taking a few steps back.

"Are we done here?" She asked, surprising herself with how steady she managed to keep her voice.

Klaus let out that low, simmering laugh and Caroline stopped just short of shivering at the sound.

"Not even close." He said, taking a few slow steps forward to clear the space she had put between them. "You've made a deal with the devil, sweetheart. I'll make sure your friend stays alive. But so long as I do that..." he stepped closer again, lifting a hand to tuck a lock of shiny blonde hair back behind her ear, admiring the marks left on her dainty little neck._ His marks_. "so long as I hold up my end of the deal, love - you're mine." Klaus' voice dropped an octave as he whispered that last part.

Caroline's body tensed as his hand left her hair to trail lightly down her neck, his thumb circling the spot where he had bitten her. "Fine," She agreed curtly, steeling her voice and holding her chin high as she continued. Caroline would be damned if she let this man, this monster, bully her. "But let's be clear on one thing," Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her with a smirk and Caroline continued, her voice imposing as she stared right back at him, "I'll hold up my end of the deal and let you feed on me but I belong to **no one**. Least of all you." She spat, not flinching even as his hand tightened slightly around her neck.

Klaus' face was serious for just a moment before his lips broke out into that infamous smirk again. "We'll just have to wait and see, now won't we love?"

* * *

Katherine Pierce was a woman of many secrets. She collected them the way other women collected jewels. And one of her favorite little secrets was waiting on the other side of this door.

Katherine glanced up and down the hall to make sure no one was around before ducking into one of the lesser used rooms. As expected, Damon stood there waiting for her with a grin on his face. She didn't give him a chance to speak before she leapt, wrapping her arms and legs around him and crushing her lips against his.

Damon caught her, groaning into her mouth, and held her for a moment before finally dropping Katherine back to her feet and pulling away.

"You changed, is our little game over?"

Running her hands along his chest, Katherine arched an eyebrow in confusion. "What game?"

Damon cocked his head as he stared back at her. "Earlier today. You know you really shouldn't work a guy up and disappear like that."

"Trust me," Katherine ran a blood red nail down his chest, leaning up to whisper in his ear "if I was playing a game with you, you'd know." She bit down gently on the lobe before pulling back.

The truth was, all of this was a game. Or at least, it was all a game to her. Because Katherine loved Elijah and had loved him ever since she was a naïve human girl. She loved him enough that when he came to her asking for her help to break his brother's curse, Katherine complied. She loved him enough that when Elijah said he would have to kill her but then bring her back to life with some potion, Katherine believed him. She loved him enough that when Elijah offered to turn her (despite the fact that it would cost his brother Klaus his hybrid army), Katherine agreed. There was never any doubt in Katherine's mind that she loved Elijah.

When nature had buried them all, Elijah had been her last thought. And when nature had them rise again and Katherine clawed her way out of the ground, Elijah had been her first thought.

But then things had changed. Elijah and his siblings fought a war and winning was more important than she was. And after the war was won, maintaining power was more important than she was. The throne was more important than she was. As far as Katherine was concerned, Elijah was cheating on her with his job so she paid him in kind. And in all honesty (Katherine was an excellent liar but she never lied to herself), she liked it. She liked that Damon was obsessed with her. She liked the forbidden nature of it all. But Katherine _didn't_ like that Elijah hadn't noticed. She didn't like that she was so far in his peripheral vision he didn't even suspect a thing.

Wanting to shove all thoughts of Elijah aside, Katherine leaned up to kiss Damon again. Her lips had barely brushed his when he pulled back again.

"Seriously, what was that about earlier?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion now.

Katherine rolled her eyes and groaned. "What was what about Damon?"

He was silent for a long moment before his eyes widened and he stared down at her in shock. "It really wasn't you."

"What are you talking about?" Katherine asked, her face serious now.

She watched the glint of comprehension spark in Damon's eyes but he didn't outright answer her question, instead grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her out of the room.

"What are you doing?" Katherine whispered harshly beneath her breath as she tugged her wrist from his hold but continued to follow behind him. "Someone's going to see us."

"There's something you have to see." Damon said, ignoring her chastising tone. "Someone." He muttered beneath his breath and the awe was still apparent in his voice.

Whatever, or whoever, it was that had Damon acting so strangely made Katherine curious so she continued to follow him, keeping an eye out for anyone who might see them and go whispering in Elijah's ear. A small part of her might even be grateful if someone ratted them out – at least then Elijah would pay attention to her for more than five consecutive minutes.

"Why are we going to the servant chambers?" Katherine asked as Damon led her down the stairs.

He didn't respond but kept walking with purpose. Katherine matched his hurried pace, tossing disdainful looks at her gritty surroundings. She didn't make her way down here often so whatever it was had better be good.

Damon waved off the guards as he swung open the door that led deeper into the servant quarters. Both Katherine and Damon ignored the hushed whispers that followed them as they breezed past the humans left milling around. Still not explaining himself, Damon began yanking back curtains, glancing briefly at each little cot before moving on to the next. They were half way down the hall when he tugged aside yet another curtain and froze.

"Unbelievable." He muttered beneath his breath, eyes going wide.

"What?" Katherine asked, shoving him aside before Damon could respond.

Living with the original family for as long as she had, Katherine had seen a lot of things. Moreover, it took a lot to shock a vampire of her age. But sitting cross legged on that cot was something Katherine had never thought she'd see. It was…her. A carbon copy, living, breathing version of herself.

"What –" The girl had started to speak but froze as well when her eyes landed on Katherine.

Before she could say anything else, Katherine recuperated and was flashing forward. With a flick of her hand, she pushed the human girl onto her back before straddling her waist. Katherine bent forward, holding the girl in place as she inspected her. She leaned close enough that their noses almost brushed. Those were her brown eyes staring back up at her. Moving at vampire speed again, Katherine stood up from the bed, wrapped one hand around the girl's neck and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"And who the hell are you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side as she observed the girl like a lab rat.

"Take it easy." Damon interrupted from where he stood, watching the exchange unfold. He was having a hard enough time wrapping his head around it so he couldn't imagine what the experience was like for Katherine – or the girl for that matter.

"Who. Are. You?" Katherine asked again, leaning forward to bring her face closer to the other girl's as she spoke.

"Elena." The girl managed to choke out.

Pausing now, Katherine took in the startled look on the girl's face before finally loosening her grip around her throat. Elena was just as shocked as Katherine so this couldn't be some kind of trick. Just a startling turn of events – one she needed more time to process.

"Come on." Katherine said brusquely, grabbing the girl by the forearm and pulling her off of the bed.

"Where are we going?" She sputtered out as Katherine tugged her along, breezing past Damon and back toward the doors.

Katherine ignored her but the girl chose that moment to rediscover her inner fighter, struggling futilely against Katherine's grip as she asked again, "where are you taking me?"

Letting out a low huff, Katherine paused, spinning to face the girl. "You're a servant, right?" She snapped at the other girl. "You're going to _serve_."

With that Katherine spun around again, still tugging the girl behind her. Katherine was nothing if not adept at adapting to changing circumstances. This girl,_ Elena_, was certainly changing circumstances and until Katherine decided what to do with her imitation self, she'd be keeping her as close as possible.

* * *

It took a lot to rattle Caroline's cage but everything about that original vampire had her on edge. She had thrown a quick prayer up to God when someone had knocked on Klaus' door, interrupting their standoff and informing Klaus he was needed elsewhere. Caroline could tell he was reluctant to end their little tête-à-tête but she was more than grateful for the interruption. Klaus had gestured for another guard to take Caroline back down and she didn't miss the glare he threw at the guard who reached for her arm but changed his mind at the last moment, pulling away under Klaus' brutal stare.

"To be continued, sweetheart." He said, turning to her as the vicious look was immediately replaced with a smug smile.

Caroline stopped just short of sneering at him as she turned to follow the guard down the hall. This time Caroline took careful note of which halls they walked down. This place would be easy to get lost in and once she figured out a way out of the basement chambers, Caroline would need to find the least crowded halls to pass through on their way out of this hell.

Once they reached the basement, Caroline wasted no time scanning the room. She didn't know how or why she trusted Klaus, she just knew that he would keep his word. She _knew_ it. As her eyes scanned the faces of servants not out working the floors, Caroline searched for that familiar face.

And there he was.

Jeremy sat at a table off to the side, slumped over and clutching his ribs. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief when she looked at him. Not just because he was there (freed from lockdown as Klaus had promised) but because when she looked at him Caroline didn't feel anything. There was no shiver or cold sensation to suggest that Jeremy was about to die. They could cross find Jeremy off their list and move on to the part where they got out of here.

Caroline raced across the room, taking a seat at the table with Jeremy.

"Jeremy. Jeremy Gilbert." She said, waving a hand to get him to lift his head.

With a groan Jeremy looked up. His face was bruised and swollen as he stared passively at Caroline. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice gruff.

"My name's Caroline. I'm a friend of your sister's."

"Elena." Jeremy sat up straighter now, staring at the unfamiliar girl. He'd begun to think he'd imagined his sister earlier, delirious from all the beatings he had taken lately. When the guards had come and moved him to the servants' quarters, Jeremy had searched around for Elena but couldn't find her. Part of him was grateful – hopefully he had just imagined it and Elena was safe somewhere far away from this hellhole. The other part of him just wished he could see his sister. "Where is she?" Jeremy asked, bracing a hand on the table as he leaned closer to Caroline.

"I don't know." Caroline said, looking around the room now in confusion. "She was supposed to be here. Maybe they have her cleaning rooms or something." She spoke softly, her eyes still scanning the room.

There was no sign of Elena but Caroline's eyes landed on Vicki and the other girl looked up just in time to catch her gaze. Raising a hand, Caroline gestured out for Vicki to come over. Confused, Vicki stood up and a moment later she was sitting beside Caroline.

"Jeremy, Vicki. Vicki, Jeremy." Caroline said, doing a quick round of introductions before turning to Vicki again. "Have you seen Elena? The girl I was with yesterday."

"Have you seen my sister?" Jeremy jumped in, his voice frantic.

"They took her away." Vicki said, her fingers reflexively scratching at her wrist.

Caroline's heart sped up and she spoke again, lower now. "Who took her away, Vicki?"

The other girl stared sadly at her for a moment before responding. "It was the strangest thing. This woman looked exactly like her – like Elena. She came with a man and they took her away."

Caroline wanted to scream. Beneath the table, her hands balled into fists and she had to swallow back the urge to smash something. It was time for the world to cut her a fucking break. Sucking in a deep breath, Caroline turned to Jeremy again.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. She has to be in these walls somewhere." Caroline said though the boy didn't seem all that reassured by her words. "Everything's going to be fine."

Even as she said the words, Caroline didn't believe them. Because everything wasn't fine. It was the furthest thing from it.

* * *

**So if you read either of my other two stories you know this sort of fast updating is far from normal. I can't promise it will continue this way. In fact, I can probably promise that it won't - but we'll see how it goes. And all the thanks in the world to those of you who reviewed! I'm obscenely excited for this story so I'm glad some of you are too. Keep doing the thing. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown._

The words danced through Elijah's mind as he sat at his desk, cradling a glass of scotch in his hand. He had already gotten word that the clerk from the oracle's shop had been taken care of. It had been quick and painless as Elijah had commanded. Mercy was the least he could grant her - it wasn't the woman's fault that she had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Elijah lowered his drink to the desk in front of him, his finger circling the tip of the glass as he stayed caught up in his musings. His brother had a knack for making Elijah's life harder than it needed to be. Klaus could be irrational and impulsive and this wasn't the first time Elijah had had to deal with the consequences of his brother's actions. At least the collateral damage had been kept to a minimum. Elijah could only hope that now there was no one else who would be able to connect Klaus to the oracle's death. If that happened, it would cause trouble for them all.

A knock at his door pulled Elijah from his thoughts and he called out for the person to come in. He looked up as Stefan walked into the room, arms crossed behind his back as he strode forward to stand in front of Elijah's desk.

"And what fresh hell have you come to lay on me?" Elijah asked with a sigh, taking another sip of his drink.

Stefan watched the other man for a moment as if contemplating saying anything at all before finally replying. "It's the wolves."

"Of course it is." Elijah growled, standing up and walking away from his desk. "And what have they done now?" He asked as he moved toward a large table off to the side of the room. Spread across the table was a map of New Orleans and all its surrounding areas. Various markings showed where territory lines were drawn and which portions of the city were occupied by which factions. The majority of the map was marked red, for the overwhelming vampire population. Purple signified the mages faction while little black markings showed where various demons tended to lurk. The light and dark fae were represented by two shades of blue and a dark brown designated the werewolf faction.

"It's the forest." Stefan said as he moved to stand across the table from Elijah. "In the past two weeks we've had werewolf sightings here and here." He pressed his finger to two points on the map at the edge of the forest, close to where the border between vampire and werewolf territories was drawn. "And yesterday there was another sighting here." Stefan pointed to another spot. "The vampire patrolling the border got into a skirmish with the wolf. He was bitten. Luckily we had some of your brother's blood on hand to heal him."

Elijah scoffed. Luck had nothing to do with it. Try as he might, Elijah could never get his brother to put the good of the realm over his own personal interests and when Klaus had agreed to part with some of his blood it had come at a price. His brother had asked to take a look through their mother's grimoire, left in Elijah's possession. It seemed like easy enough terms to meet so Elijah agreed but when the grimoire was returned to him, he found four pages had been torn out. To this day, Elijah had no idea what spells his brother had taken. Still it was a price worth paying if it protected the vampires that guarded the border by the werewolf territory.

"And the wolf?" Elijah asked.

Stefan glanced up from the map and back at Elijah. "He got away."

Elijah turned his attention back to the map, thinking in silence for a moment. "They're testing us. Trying to gauge how far they can push us."

"What do you suggest we do?" Stefan asked, watching him with cautious eyes.

Elijah looked up and fixed Stefan with a calm stare. "We push back." He took another sip of his drink before continuing. "I want coordinated strikes here and here." Elijah said, pointing on the map to two spots in werewolf territory and close to the border. Two spots that he knew happened to be where pack members congregated.

Stefan's eyes widened as he stared at Elijah. "That's across the border. It's an invasion."

"How perceptive of you, Stefan." Elijah said dryly. "They crossed into our territory, we're merely returning the favor."

"With a planned attack?" Stefan asked, still shocked. "We had a few werewolves running in our backyard so we're just going to go in and start picking them off in their own territory?"

"Yes." Elijah said curtly, already losing patience.

Stefan swallowed back his anger before continuing. "If we go in there on the attack, we'll lose men."

"So we'll make more." Elijah replied, waving it off with his hand as he glanced back down at the map.

"They aren't just expendable casualties." Stefan said, gritting his teeth. "These are my men."

Elijah's head snapped up and he fixed the other man with a vicious stare. "You seem to be mistaken because they're **my **men. **My **army. And you are just **my **general."

Stefan was silent for a moment before continuing. "Why deal with the casualties though? Why not just pull the border back a little and give the werewolves some of the forest. Don't we have enough borders to defend?"

Elijah lowered his glass calmly as he stared at the other man but Stefan wasn't fooled by the composed demeanor.

"First of all," Elijah began, "If we give up so much as an inch of the forest, they'll keep coming and they'll take more until they have it all. Secondly, the forest – which you seem to have so little regard for – is home to a number of different plants and herbs that the witches need. Whoever controls the forest, has the favor of the witches. And lastly," Elijah stepped closer to the other man and while his face might have appeared calm his eyes were boiling. "You do not question me or why I do what I do. You're a soldier, you take orders. You'll do well to remember that." Elijah finished, mere inches away from the other vampire's face.

"Have I made myself clear?" Elijah asked sternly.

Stefan gritted his teeth together, knowing that if he opened his mouth he'd say something that would get him killed on the spot. So instead he just gave a curt nod of his head.

"You're dismissed." Elijah said with a wave of his hand, already turning around to walk back to his desk.

Stefan stormed out of the room, still seething. He'd had enough of the original family and the way they ruled as if everyone else were mere pawns in a chess game. Damon had been right all along, they needed to take the throne at whatever cost. And as Stefan reminded himself of that, he went in search of Rebekah. Despite his earlier misgivings, Damon's original plan was reinstated.

Elijah had barely sat back down in his chair when there was another knock at his door. This time whoever it was didn't wait for a response and a second later Elijah looked up to see Katherine striding into the room. He swallowed back a sigh, lifting a hand to press his fingers to his temple. He loved his wife but Elijah was having a long enough day already and what he needed was a moment of peace and solitude.

"Hey you." Katherine said as she crossed the room, stopping by Elijah's chair before hopping up to sit on his desk. "You weren't in bed when I woke up." She crossed her legs and leaned back slightly on her hands as she looked down at him.

"I know, I'm sorry." Elijah replied softly, laying his head on her legs and stroking her thigh with one idle hand.

"It's okay." Katherine replied nonchalantly though it was the furthest thing from how she actually felt. "You would not believe what I found yesterday. Or should I say who I found." She said, smirking.

Elijah let out a low groan, lifting his head from her lap and sitting back in his seat. "Can it wait please?" He had more than enough on his plate and Elijah didn't need any more surprises.

The smile fell from Katherine's face and she fixed him with an annoyed look. "Fine." She muttered, hopping off the desk. "I'll put it in the box alongside all the other things you were too busy to listen to."

"Katherine." Elijah sighed, rubbing at his temple again.

"No really." She said, already spinning on her heel and walking toward the door. "Forget I said anything. I wouldn't want to bother you with my trivial matters." Katherine spat as she swung the door open.

"Katherine." He said her name again but the door was already shutting behind her.

Elijah groaned, standing to pour himself another drink. It wasn't easy being king.

* * *

Caroline had always been an overly perceptive girl and in her line of work that came in handy. It was even handier in the situation she currently found herself in. In just a few days, Caroline had already figured out when the guards switched shifts, when they took their breaks and which daytime guards would be the easiest to overtake. Not that any of this would do her any good if she couldn't find Elena. 24 hours had passed and the other girl was still missing in action. The longer she stayed gone the more likely it was they wouldn't find her in this crowded compound. But Caroline hadn't shared that information with Jeremy. The boy was more than anxious enough, not to mention still bruised and battered, so Caroline pasted on her reassuring smile and told him everything would be fine. Finding people is what Caroline did best and Elena had to still be somewhere on these grounds. She tried not to consider the possibility that the other girl was already dead. No, Vicky had said the woman who took Elena looked exactly like her. A coincidence like that wasn't common and if this mysterious double wanted Elena, it wasn't to kill her.

Caroline was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of sharp nails tapping on the table she sat at with Jeremy. She looked up and caught the eye of the woman running things whose name Caroline had learned was Eve.

"You two seemed to have missed the memo about what we do here." She practically snarled. "For you, duty calls" she said nodding at Caroline before turning to Jeremy, "and you," her snarl turned into a slow grin, "I have a job in mind for you."

Caroline didn't move, instead glaring up at the woman. "Look at him. He's been beaten half to death how do you expect him to work"

In a flash the woman's smile dropped again and her eyes flashed with anger as she leaned over to scowl in Caroline's face. "I'm not a fan of your attitude. And when Klaus is done with you, and he _will_ be done with you, I'll be first in line to tear your head off." She spoke slowly, her fangs elongated as she snapped at Caroline.

If Eve was expecting her to cower, she was about to be sorely disappointed.

"You're certainly welcome to try." Caroline said with a mocking grin.

Eve's hand flashed out and wrapped around Caroline's throat, her nails biting into her skin hard enough to draw blood. The blonde didn't have a chance to react before someone flashed forward and suddenly Eve was tugged back, hitting the ground on her back loud enough that the sound echoed through the room.

Caroline's eyes snapped up to look at her guard, as she had come to think of him as since he was always the one to escort her to and from Klaus' chambers. He crouched in front of the other vampire, his hands going around her neck the same way hers had just been around Caroline's.

"He will kill you. He will kill us both. And I won't die for you." He growled, his grip tightening as the woman just glared back up at him. "Maybe I should kill you myself. Save us all some trouble."

"The little bitch needs to learn some respect."

"Funny," the man spat though there was no humor in his tone, "I was just thinking the same about you."

Eve glared back. "And since when do you jump to the rescue for _humans_?" The way she said humans, Eve may as well have been talking about animals.

"This one is off limits." The guard spoke slowly, his voice menacing. "Touch her again and I **will** kill you. And you'll thank me for it. Because the things he would do to you would be far worse." With that he stood up, freeing the woman from his grasp as she rubbed her hands along her throat.

Caroline was still processing the exchange when her guard turned to stare down at her, his face back to that unreadable mask. "Let's go."

She cocked an eyebrow but when he said nothing else Caroline gave a resigned sigh before standing up. She threw Jeremy a final look before following her guard toward the door.

Jeremy watched Caroline go with wary eyes. If she didn't come back like Elena hadn't then he was back to square one, left alone in the lion's den. But Jeremy was a warrior. No one was going to break him, least of all these monsters.

Caroline disappeared through the door and he turned his attention back to the woman as she stood up from the ground. She brushed off her leather pants as if nothing had happened before lifting her wrist to her mouth and biting into it. Jeremy furrowed his brows in confusion and a split second later the woman was shoving her wrist into his mouth. He struggled for only a second before the smooth liquid seeped onto his tongue and down his throat. He could feel his body healing, rejuvenating much faster than anything Jeremy had ever experienced. By the time the woman pulled her wrist away he not only felt better, he felt stronger than he'd ever been.

"Let's go." She said, wrapping her fingers around his arm and tugging him up with a mocking smile. "You've got work to do."

As her guard led her down familiar hallways, Caroline watched his stoic face in her peripheral vision.

"You know eventually you'll have to say more to me than just different variations of 'let's go'" Caroline said casually as she strolled down the hall beside him.

Like all the times before, he gave no response and simply continued down the hall.

"Like maybe your name." Caroline continued to prod, not the least bit dissuaded by his obvious disinterest.

"Or maybe you can tell me what his deal is you know. How often does this" she gestured between them as a way to signify the arrangement "happen?"

Still no response. They reached the door to Klaus' room and the guard swung it open before stepping aside to let Caroline through. She stepped inside just as he finally spoke.

"You ask too many questions and speak too freely. Don't get yourself killed on my watch." He practically grunted.

Caroline spun around, shooting him a sarcastic grin. "I'll try my best."

His apathetic facial expression didn't change as the guard turned and shut the door, locking her in.

Caroline let out a low huff as she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on the spot where she had stood the last time Klaus had helped himself to the blood coursing through her veins. Caroline ignored the shiver that raced down her spine at the memory. She didn't have time to delve deeper into what that reaction meant. This game she was playing got more complicated every day and if she wanted out of this place, Caroline would have to press every advantage that came her way. And that's all Klaus was – an unexpected advantage. He'd been true to his word about Jeremy and, as she had learned again today, his interest in Caroline would work in her favor with the guards. She'd been looking at it all wrong the first time she ended up in this room. Klaus wasn't another roadblock to getting out of here – he was another crucial piece to her escape efforts.

* * *

"And after that he still had the nerve to dismiss me! Like I'm some common subject - some whimsical little girl with whimsical little problems. He wasn't the least bit interested in what I had to say!"

Elena swallowed back a sigh as her captor, Katherine, continued to rant. She'd heard the diatribe already and when Katherine had finished she merely started all over again. First while she had Elena do her hair then again while she had her paint her toe nails and now as she applied polish to her fingernails. Elena was more than certain Katherine was capable of doing all of this herself (and probably better than Elena who had never had access to such beauty products in her life and was only now learning the art of nail painting) but the other woman, the one who looked disturbingly like her, seemed to want someone around to listen to her. Elena was that unfortunate someone.

"Well it's his loss." Katherine scoffed, adding a huff for good measure. "I suppose I'll keep my little discovery to myself until I decide what to do next."

Elena didn't have to ask what the discovery was because she already knew. _She_ was the discovery. Though she wasn't quite sure why Katherine was so certain this finding would be something of interest to her husband who Elena had deduced was the original vampire, Elijah, who Katherine had spent the last hour complaining about.

"I'm almost done here." Elena said softly, glancing up from the nail she was painting to look at Katherine. "Can I go after this?"

Katherine's eyes narrowed as she glared at the other girl. "Not you too." She rolled her eyes, "Does no one appreciate me? I pulled you from the smelly, dank basement, set you up in this lovely room," she gestured around the small bedroom where they sat, "and even you are ungrateful."

"I just meant" Elena trailed off not knowing what to say next. She couldn't very well tell the vampire that the basement was where her brother and Caroline, her ticket out of here, were. "I've had enough change in my life as of late. And I was just getting used to how things worked down there." Elena said with an easy shrug, hoping Katherine would buy it.

She didn't. Katherine knew the girl was lying, and not very well at that. She just didn't care. So she continued on, blowing lightly on the hand Elena had already finished before speaking again.

"Well if I were you I wouldn't be too eager to head back down there just yet." Katherine said with a shrug. "Trust me, the cage I have you in is a lot nicer than the one you'd be in if someone else found you down there."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, pausing what she was doing to look curiously up at Katherine.

Katherine just wiggled her fingers, indicating for Elena to continue and waited for the girl to do so before speaking again. "You haven't asked again why we look alike."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Well you seemed pretty invested in a different line of topic so I didn't see an opening to bring it up." She said, playing it off as if their identical appearance wasn't the giant elephant in the room.

"Well congratulations you're the latest doppelganger." Katherine said with a flourish. "Your prize - you get to be used as an instrument for Niklaus Mikaelson, vicious bastard that he is."

"What do you mean instrument?" She asked, lowering the nail polish after finishing the last finger.

Katherine paused, blowing on her nails again while Elena fidgeted in front of her.

"Well," she said nonchalantly, "it's an interesting story actually. Starts off with a bang with lies and treachery and infidelity. Turns out mama Mikaelson had a thing for beasts of a more furry nature." Katherine said clucking her teeth. "A secret that might have stayed secret if it weren't for the fact that after making his first kill Klaus showed his werewolf nature. Pretty nasty way to find out your wife had an affair with a member of a species that you hate." She said with a smirk. "Anyway, apparently no one thought letting a hybrid vampire werewolf run around was a good idea so the obvious solution was a curse to keep his werewolf side dormant." Katherine continued while Elena listened raptly, waiting for the part that concerned her. "Guess they weren't counting on Klaus being such a persistent bastard. Cut forward a couple of centuries and that's where I come in. The precious doppelganger Klaus needs to break his curse, freeing his wolf. Long story short - a little death, a curse broken, a revival potion, everyone wins in the end."

"I'm a doppelganger?" Elena asked slowly, the term rolling off her tongue.

"Yes." Katherine replied curtly.

"And that's why we look alike?"

Katherine gave a dramatic sigh. "You think you're special and then every couple of centuries a carbon copy of you appears. It's a real mood killer."

"But wait," Elena said, cocking one eyebrow. "If this Klaus already broke the curse with your death, then why would he need me?"

Katherine's lips curled into a wide grin that was far more ominous than it was humorous. "Ah, see that's the best part. Breaking the curse was just step one. Step one made only one hybrid –Klaus. But with that done, now he can make an army of hybrids. A whole new breed of monster. The thing is," Katherine leaned in closer until her face was mere inches from Elena's, "to do that, he needs the blood of the doppelganger. A living doppelganger I mean." She grinned when Elena sucked in a low breath. "He'll chain you to a corner and drain your blood until you're a hairsbreadth away from death. Then he'll let you recuperate just so he can start all over again. It was the fate he had planned for me. Before Elijah ruined his plans by turning me into a vampire behind Klaus' back. Nasty times in the Mikaelson family that was." She said, clucking her teeth as she sat back again. "But he did it, betrayed his brother I mean, because he loved me." Katherine's gaze clouded and it was clear her mind was elsewhere as she continued to speak. "He loved me differently back then. Not the way he does now – or pretends to. I used to be his first priority. And now it's the realm and politics and power. I'm nothing more than an afterthought to him." She spat.

Elena blinked rapidly, her mind racing to process everything she'd heard in the last few minutes. Katherine dropped a bomb on her about an original hybrid who'd drain her blood and then in a blink of an eye they were back to talking about her and her relationship problems as if Elena's whole world hadn't just been rocked. She spoke without thinking, her voice full of spite. "Well maybe if you weren't cheating on him with some other vampire, your husband might still be putting you first."

The words had barely left her mouth when Elena suddenly lost the ability to breath. Katherine had flashed forward, leaning over the chair Elena sat in as her fingers wrapped tightly around the girl's throat, crushing her windpipes.

"You mouthy little bitch." Katherine cocked her head to the side and watched Elena squirm in the chair, her face paling as she struggled to breathe.

Katherine was genuinely contemplating just killing the girl and moving on with her life when the door flung open and another body slammed into hers.

"Ease up." Damon's voice was harsh as he dashed between the two girls, pulling Katherine away from Elena. "What're you doing?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at Elena before turning back to Katherine.

"She knows about us." Katherine said, crossing her arms over her chest with a shrug. "We should kill her. Just to be safe." She leaned to the side, looking past Damon and smirking at Elena who was still struggling to catch her breath.

Damon sighed, turning around and striding a few steps forward before leaning over to catch Elena's eye. "You won't tell anyone anything about us." He said, his voice stern as he stared at her.

Without thinking about it, Elena nodded. "I won't tell anyone anything." Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew what was happening (Alaric had told her about vampire compulsion) but there was nothing Elena could do to stop it.

"See." Damon said, turning around to face Katherine again.

The other vampire just shrugged. "My way would have been more fun."

Damon rolled his eyes, taking Katherine's arm and leading her out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Once in the hall, he looked up and down once before turning to face Katherine again.

"What were you thinking anyway? I get you're bored Katherine but taking your little double in there," he gestured to the door behind them, "just to play games. You're better than that."

"Am I?" She asked snidely, crossing her arms over her chest again.

Damon just threw her a look and Katherine sighed before continuing. "It wasn't a game. I needed her to-" Katherine stopped short before explaining just what her plans had been for Elena. She couldn't very well tell her current lover that she had hoped to use the girl to worm her way back into Elijah's heart by giving him something that would make both him and his brother happy. Instead she said, "I thought I'd use her as a bargaining chip with Klaus."

"Klaus?" Damon asked, furrowing his eyebrows. "What does he have to do with anything?"

Katherine rolled her eyes and pressed a finger to her temple. "Do I have to be everyone's history teacher today? Hello, doppelganger blood, hybrid army."

"Hybrid army?" Damon repeated, his voice low as his head shot side to side to make sure the hallway was still clear before turning back to Katherine.

"That girl in there," She pointed her thumb over her shoulder to the door behind her, "she's chalk full of blood that will turn werewolves into hybrids like Klaus. I guarantee you, give her to him and he'll have an army of a superior breed within a week."

Damon's eyes widened before narrowing again. "I changed my mind. We should kill her." He put both hands on Katherine's shoulders and moved her aside before striding back into the room.

Pulling up the chair that Katherine had vacated earlier, Damon sat directly across from Elena who had finally managed to calm down some. He stared at the girl, his head cocked to the side as he took her in. It was eerie almost. Every hair on her head, every slant of her nose and mouth and cheekbones, every miniature detail was just like Katherine. Except for her eyes. They looked just like Katherine's only warmer somehow – less jaded by centuries of living.

Damon leaned forward and took the girl's head between his hands. She sucked in a deep breath and he could smell the panic on her but Elena didn't move an inch. She froze and waited. One little twist of his wrists was all it would take to snap her fragile, human neck. Damon knew that was exactly what he should do. There was nothing in this world worth the risk of Klaus gaining a hybrid army, especially now with his and Stefan's plans in the works. It was pure dumb luck that Katherine had discovered her before someone else had. Damon had to kill her now before Klaus could get to her.

But he couldn't. He told himself it was because she looked exactly, _exactly_, like the woman he was in love with and he ignored the little voice in the back of his head that told him that wasn't the reason why. He told himself the secret of her was safe for now and whether or not she lived or died was a decision that could be made later. He told himself it was time to go and then Damon stood up and did just that.

* * *

Klaus was having another one of those bad days. Elijah was still giving him the cold shoulder over the little oracle matter, he was no closer to deciphering Bonnie's prophecy and, as of this morning, Klaus was beginning to suspect that Stefan (his closest friend and confidant) was getting involved with his little sister. That wouldn't bode well for any of them because when Stefan broke her heart (and that was inevitable seeing as how Rebekah was somewhat of a pro at having her heart broken), Klaus would have to kill him and that would just be upsetting. So Klaus was having a rather dreadful day. But that all changed when he strode into his room and found Caroline there waiting for him. One glance at her and his foul mood vanished as if it had never existed. In its place arose a feeling Klaus was coming to associate with only Caroline – a sense of anticipation that had eluded him for centuries.

She stood by the window, staring out toward the forest, and for a moment Klaus just watched her, taking in the way her hair curled down her neck and the smooth slope of her back as she leaned forward on the windowsill.

"You know if you're going to hold me to this arrangement, the least you could do is not keep me waiting." Caroline spoke before turning around, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked over at him. Her stare wasn't as contemptuous as it had been the last two times and she wasn't threatening to kill herself so Klaus considered this to be progress.

He strode forward with a slow grin, his hands clasped behind his back as his eyes locked on hers. "Arrangement?" Klaus repeated, cocking his head to the side as he reached her.

Caroline matched his look with one of her own, arching an eyebrow as she regarded him. "I saw Jeremy's been released. Alive and well." Caroline walked as she spoke, moving past Klaus but not turning around to face him as she put a few feet of distance between them.

"For now." Klaus replied, turning to follow her with that same predatory grin. But he didn't want to talk about the boy. Not when he had Caroline here and in a far more amiable mood than she'd shown him before. Klaus paused directly behind her, close enough to almost bury his nose in her hair. He forced himself to stop just short of doing that, swallowing back the urge to suck in that oddly alluring scent that accompanied the natural shine of her hair. "No tricks today?" He asked lightly, the smirk evident in his tone. "No razors or impromptu stakes or falling from windows? Should I be worried, love?" Klaus teased, his breath dancing across her neck as he leaned over her shoulder.

"I'm a woman of my word." Caroline responded lightly, lifting a hand to pull her hair over one shoulder, baring her neck to him as she tilted it slightly to the side and waited for his bite.

Klaus smirked again, glancing once at the pulsing vein there before walking around to face Caroline, barely a foot between them. She just stared calmly at him as Klaus wrapped his fingers around her wrist, lifting her hand to about chest height. His eyes flicked down to watch as the fingers of his other hand traced the lines of her palm. Caroline's face kept that cool façade but with the hand wrapped around her wrist, Klaus could feel her pulse pick up speed as he stroked the smooth skin of her palm. His eyes flicked back up to hers and Klaus kept them trained there as he lifted Caroline's hand to his lips. His fangs dropped as he gradually slid Caroline's index finger into his mouth. The tip of one fang barely pierced the skin and Klaus sucked slowly at the slight trickle of blood that stemmed forward. The taste of her blood on his tongue made Klaus hyper-aware of every little detail about Caroline in that moment – the way a shiver trickled down her spine, the way her eyes clouded over as she stared back at him, the way her legs clenched together which did nothing to hide the mouthwatering scent of her arousal.

Klaus lapped lightly at the finger as he slid it from his mouth, lowering Caroline's hand again as he spoke. "Just a little taste." His voice was low and gruff as Klaus savored the lingering aftertaste of her blood on his tongue.

Caroline snapped out of it, tugging her hand out of his grip and clasping her fingers together behind her back. "I guess no one ever taught you not to play with your food." She said snidely though beneath the brusque attitude, Klaus could tell she was shaken.

He made no efforts to hold back his grin – Caroline must be truly flustered to refer to herself as food. Klaus leaned forward again as he spoke, lifting a hand to trace a finger lightly along her collarbone. "Oh Caroline, when I've begun to play with you – you'll know."

She took a few steps back from him and Klaus let her retreat, that same knowing smirk in place. Her back straightened as Caroline placed one hand on her hip. "Well then we're done here." She moved to walk toward the door but she'd only taken one step when Klaus snagged her wrist again.

"Not so fast," He said with a low laugh as he spun Caroline around and pulled her over to the couches in the corner. Klaus sank onto the leather seat and patted the spot beside him as he looked up at her. "We aren't done just yet, sweetheart."

Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at him. "We agreed I would let you feed on me. You did. Now I can go."

Klaus threw his head back with a laugh, bracing one arm along the back of the couch. "Is that what we agreed on, love? I don't recall those specific terms in our verbal contract. In fact, I do believe it was your cooperation you offered in return for my little favor. So," Klaus gestured again to the spot beside him, "cooperate."

Caroline stared at him for another moment before taking a seat on the couch at the side furthest from him. The distance she put between them didn't bother Klaus – he hadn't expected her to make it easy and frankly would have been disappointed if she had.

"Well." Caroline said expectantly, breaking the silence that had fallen.

"Well." Klaus repeated with a smirk.

She arched an eyebrow and stared at him in silence.

"You know, you've written me off fairly quickly Caroline. Perhaps I'm not half as bad as you think." He said with a teasing grin.

"Perhaps you're _twice _as bad as I think." Caroline shot back, her lips curling up slightly in a sardonic grin to match his.

Klaus let out another bellowing laugh. She was most likely right about that. It would take quite the imagination for any human to grasp 1000 years of monstrous behavior. 'Bad' would hardly cover it. In reality, he was no doubt far worse than anything Caroline believed.

"I admit, no one will nominate me for sainthood –"

Caroline cut him off with a scoff. "Was sainthood ever on the table because from what I hear you may as well be the devil himself."

His grin grew as he spoke. "Now don't go believing the rumors." Klaus chastised her lightly.

She threw him a disbelieving look. "So you didn't tear a guy's spine out this morning for stepping in your path?" She'd overheard one of the servants telling the story.

"Ah see," Klaus wagged his finger at her, "it wasn't his spine it was his spleen and it wasn't for stepping in my path it was for knocking into me – without an apology I might add." To be fair, a show of violence to that degree for such a minor offense wasn't a common occurrence for Klaus but he'd been having a bad day after all. Though in this moment his day was certainly looking up.

Caroline scoffed again, rolling her eyes.

Klaus held up a defensive hand before continuing. "I'm merely saying, you can't believe everything you hear." He said with a teasing smile. "Things get distorted within these walls."

"His spleen not his spine and for knocking into you not stepping in front of you – yeah I can see how the rumor mill really messed that one up." Caroline shot back sarcastically.

Klaus laughed and was about to respond when there was a knock at the door. His head shot to the side and he glared at the door, already contemplating how he might punish whoever it was that had interrupted them just as Caroline was beginning to relax around him. The knock sounded again and Caroline threw him an expectant look.

Klaus snarled beneath his breath as he stood up and strode over to the door. "What." He growled as he swung the heavy wooden door open.

A guard stood there and Klaus watched the man's body tense as he took in Klaus' irritated demeanor.

The guard coughed to clear his throat before speaking. "Your sister sent me. She told me to repeat her exact words." He slowed then, clearly rethinking the dangers of repeating Rebekah's demands word for word.

"Well." Klaus pressed when the guard paused – he didn't have the time or the inclination to continue this conversation for much longer.

"She says," he cleared his throat once more and took the slightest step back as if that would somehow save him from Klaus' wrath, "Nik get your lazy, lousy ass down here right now or I will personally see to it that you spend the next hour extricating my heel from your ass." The man finished and waited, frozen in place.

The anger he was expecting didn't come as Klaus instead furrowed his brows in confusion. "What the bloody hell is she talking about?"

The guard paused for a moment before saying, "the trials, sir."

"The bloody trials." Klaus grumbled beneath his breath, rolling his eyes.

The trials were a monthly occurrence when vampires of the area would come to the original family to settle disputes between them. Every faction had their own way of upholding justice (so to speak) and the vampire way was to hold trials where the original family acted as judge, jury and executioner. They all took turns suffering through the long process together and Rebekah was no doubt furious at being left alone down there to listen to problems she couldn't possibly care any less about.

The guard stood there waiting tensely for what would come next. On the one hand, he had no desire to push the matter with the original hybrid who would no doubt take great pleasure in dismembering him for any perceived disrespect. On the other hand, Rebekah had told him if he returned without Klaus he would deeply regret it. The youngest original was far nastier than people typically gave her credit for. Next to her older brothers, people tended to underestimate Rebekah's wrath and that never ended well for them. He certainly didn't want to be one of those people.

Klaus briefly considered sending the guard back with a strongly worded message for his sister but then thought better of it. He was already in Elijah's bad graces over the oracle debacle, there was no sense in worsening the situation by blowing off the trials.

Klaus didn't bother responding to the guard as he turned on his heel and strode back over to where Caroline sat.

"Duty calls, love."

She perked up and Klaus was rather annoyed that she was so eager to get away from him. "Great, so I'll leave you to it." Caroline said, hopping up from the couch.

"I'm afraid I'm not letting you off the hook quite that easily." His voice was smooth and Klaus stepped to the side to block her path.

She huffed, rolling her eyes as she dropped back onto the couch. "Of course you aren't."

"I'll be back." Klaus said with a grin. "Do try to contain your excitement."

"Waiting on pins and needles." Caroline shot back sarcastically and without hesitation.

Klaus just laughed as he turned and strode toward the door.

* * *

Rebekah let out a low huff for the third time in the last five minutes. She wasn't exactly known for her patience and her brother was testing her limits right now. From her spot in her seat at the front of the room, Rebekah glanced around at all the other vampires left waiting. Her head snapped to the side as she saw the door open again and the guard she'd sent out returned. The door swung closed behind him and Rebekah let out another sigh. The unfortunate news was he hadn't managed to return with her brother. The good news was Rebekah hadn't removed any vital organs yet today and now was her chance. She had, after all, made the guard a promise. Rebekah was about to stand from her throne when the door opened again and Nik walked in.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Rebekah bit out as Klaus ascended the few stairs of the platform before dropping into the gilded chair beside hers. Rebekah thought the three thrones had been a bit gaudy but Klaus had insisted and her brother had a way of always getting what he wanted.

"I would never leave you to suffer alone sister." Klaus said feigning offense and placing a hand to his chest as he turned his head to look at Rebekah.

She only rolled her eyes at him before turning to face the room again. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" Rebekah said, motioning for the first pair to step forward.

A dark haired woman and a tall man stepped forward, occupying the clear space between the platform the thrones sat on and the back of the room where everyone else continued to wait.

"Well," Rebekah said, already impatient, "state your business."

"I'm here on behalf of a vampire I sired." The woman spoke up first, turning to the side to throw the man a glare before facing forward again. "She'd be here herself but I haven't gotten her to leave the house since this man," she pointed to the guy standing a few feet to her left, "forced himself on her."

Rebekah's eyes widened slightly as she turned to face the man.

"This is a misunderstanding." The man began to speak in what he no doubt thought was a charming tone.

He didn't get to say much else before Rebekah was suddenly standing in front of him, sharp blue eyes just inches away from his as she glared up at him. The man froze as Rebekah sucked in a low breath, her eyes never leaving his.

"I can smell the guilt on you." She spoke lowly though her voice echoed through the otherwise silent room.

"I…" the man began but trailed off, still frozen tensely in place.

"You think you can just behave like some primitive caveman without consequences?" Rebekah's hand flashed between his legs and the man winced at the feel of her fingers tightening around his groin. "What, you think any woman should be happy to have you grind your sweaty, vile body on top of her?"

"I…" The man began again, his voice hoarse now.

Rebekah's grip tightened further as she continued to glare up at him. "You what?"

"I-" the man began for a third time but this time his words quickly turned into a bloodcurdling scream as Rebekah tugged her hand away, castrating him in the process. The man fell to the floor, his screams still echoing around the room as he pressed his hands to the blood pooling between his legs.

Rebekah rolled her eyes as she crouched to the floor. "Enough." She snapped before thrusting her hand into the man's chest and pulling out his heart.

With the screams gone the room fell silent again as Rebekah stood up straight, dropping the heart to the floor alongside the other organ she'd separated from his body.

"Well." She said nonchalantly as she spun around and walked back toward her seat.

The guard standing by her throne pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Rebekah as she sat down again. She took the cloth and used it to wipe the blood from her hands as she turned to face her brother who was smirking at her.

"What?" She snapped at him, arching an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Klaus held up a defensive hand. "I didn't say anything."

Rebekah rolled her eyes before facing forward again. "I haven't got all day. Next."

The woman who'd brought the first case forward bowed quickly before scurrying off and the next pair moved forward - this time a man complaining about a thief. Rebekah cut the bandit's hands off, giving them to the other man as a souvenir before ushering them away.

The trials carried on with Rebekah doling out punishments as she saw fit. At one point she turned to face Klaus who was lounging rather indifferently in his throne. "I'm doing all the heavy lifting here, Nik." She pointed out.

Klaus just threw her a slow grin. "Well it looked to me like you had some aggression you needed to work out little sister."

She rolled her eyes, turning to face forward again.

The next dispute was two vampires fighting over one human pet. They carried on back and forth for nearly twenty minutes, Klaus growing more and more bored as time passed. Finally one of the men was mid-sentence when Klaus moved forward in a flash, snapping the vampire's neck. The other man didn't have a moment to react before he also found himself on the floor with a broken neck.

"That went on long enough." Klaus said, stepping over the body on his way back to his seat. "See them out." He gestured to one of the guards who moved forward to pull the limp bodies away.

"Charming." Rebekah said sarcastically as Klaus dropped back into his seat.

His only response was a sardonic smile before he turned to face forward again.

The next group moved forward, a couple on one side and a man on the other. Upon hearing that the man was somewhat of a peeping Tom who had been spying on the couple for weeks, Rebekah graciously did the world a favor by removing the man's eyes from his head. The guard by her throne had run out of clean handkerchiefs and instead offered his sleeve to Rebekah as she returned to her seat.

"No need." She said, casually licking the blood from her fingers as she watched another guard escort the now blind and screaming man from the room.

Rebekah gestured for the next case to step forward and a low series of whispers echoed around the room as a tall, lithe woman walked forward, her skin pale and her blonde hair so light it was almost white. It didn't take too keen a vampire sense to recognize that this woman was no vampire. Rebekah looked her over twice before placing her as a nymph of some sort. They tended not to venture out of the woods all that often so her appearance here, in vampire court of all places, was strange to say the least.

"And what are you doing here?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"I brought her." Another woman spoke up, this one a dark haired vampire who moved forward to stand beside the nymph as if placing a protective shield around the other woman.

"And why?" Rebekah asked, finally turning her attention to the man involved who stood arrogantly off to the side, tossing the two women a dismissive look before turning to face forward again.

"It isn't vampire business." The man spoke up for the first time, crossing his hands behind his back.

"Yes it is." The female vampire spat, turning her head to scowl at him.

Klaus let out a loud huff. "If this is about pet ownership again you should know I could not possibly care any less." He said, rolling his eyes and gesturing out with his hands.

"It's not." The vampire woman said again, facing forward before giving the nymph a nudge.

The blonde woman cleared her throat before finally speaking. "I've been with Rossal for almost three decades." She began and Klaus quickly cut her off.

"Sweetheart, I'm afraid I'm not interested in your life story." He said, still sprawled lazily on his throne and drumming his fingers on the arm of the seat.

"Shh, I am." Rebekah said, waving her brother off and motioning for the woman to continue. This was the first interesting case to cross the floor all day and Rebekah's curiosity had gotten the better of her.

The nymph tilted her head to the side and threw the man, Rossal, a sheepish look before continuing. "I had a brief moment of …indiscretion."

"The whore slept with some petty human." Rossal snarled. Rebekah threw him a look and he fell silent again.

"Go on." The vampire woman who'd escorted the nymph up said, pressing her friend to continue.

"Yes, go on." Rebekah said, waiting to hear the rest of the story.

The nymph looked to her friend before facing forward again. "I had a child." Her voice was soft but the words carried and Rebekah could practically feel Klaus tense in the chair beside her. "I chose to stay with Rossal anyway." The way she said the words didn't make it seem like it had been much of a choice at all but the nymph carried on telling her story. "We talked about it and I thought I could raise my son under his roof. That everything would be fine." The woman trailed off.

"How is this vampire business?" Rebekah asked, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at each of the three individuals.

It was the vampire woman that spoke first. "The boy is in his teens now but his human half is outweighing his mother's genes and he's been suffering some abuse." She glanced quickly at Rossal before facing forward again. "I hope to turn him into a vampire soon."

"Over my dead body." Rossal snarled, his head snapping to the side to glare at the two women. "You'll have to go through me before getting anywhere near him."

The woman turned to face him, suppressing the urge to attack the other vampire. "If you lay another finger on that boy, going through you will become my number one priority in life." She spat.

Rossal gave a dry laugh. "I'll do with him whatever I see fit. And you ungrateful little bitch," He pointed at the nymph who continued to stand there timidly, "I helped raise that boy, the evidence of your inability to keep your legs shut. And this is how you repay me? You and that thankless little bastard -"

The word had barely left the man's mouth before he lost the ability to speak. In move too fast for even vampire eyes to track, Klaus had flown out of his seat and ended up standing a hairsbreadth away from the man. It was the hand wrapped tightly around his heart that had stopped Rossal mid-sentence.

"Look at me." Klaus growled and the tension in the room skyrocketed.

Rossal brought his eyes to Klaus' and the original used his free hand to grip the other vampire by the back of his neck, ensuring he couldn't turn away from his gaze. Klaus' fingers tightened around the heart in his hand, another low growl rumbling from his chest.

"This boy," Klaus' voice was low and menacing as his grip on Rossal's heart had the other man bending at the knees, his body drooping lower and lower, "this _bastard_" Klaus spat the word as the vampire fell to his knees in front of him. Klaus bent to look directly into the man's eyes, though it wasn't Rossal's eyes he was seeing. Instead, Klaus was staring into a set of far more familiar eyes. Eyes he hadn't seen in centuries. Not since he had killed Mikael, his supposed father. "He deserves better than you."

Klaus ripped the man's heart from his chest and Rossal's body slumped the rest of the way to the floor. He didn't hear the slight thump the heart made as he dropped it to the floor. He didn't hear the scream the nymph let out as she turned to bury her head in her friend's chest. He didn't hear Rebekah tell a guard to go retrieve the body. In fact, Klaus didn't hear much of anything as he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Stefan was walking into the room and stepped aside just as Klaus brushed past him, spidery veins dancing across his face as his hybrid eyes flashed. He thought briefly about what might have his friend so upset but Stefan shoved it to the back of his mind as he continued on into the room, looking up to where Rebekah sat perched on one of the three thrones. She caught his eye before turning to face the room again.

"We're done for today. You can all see yourselves out." She waved a dismissive hand as she stood up from her seat.

The room began to clear as Rebekah descended the stairs to the platform and walked over to Stefan.

"What was that about?" He asked, pointing behind him to where Klaus had just stormed off.

Rebekah looked over Stefan's shoulder toward the door with a sigh. She understood her brother's rage but Rebekah had no intention of explaining it to Stefan. "Just Nik being Nik." She said with a shrug. "What are you doing here?" She asked, turning her eyes back to Stefan.

"I actually came to see you."

"Oh really?" Rebekah said, a small smile playing across her lips.

Stefan grinned back. "Really."

"Well, walk with me." She threw him a smirk as she headed toward the door, Stefan falling immediately into step beside her.

"It looks like you've had an eventful day." Stefan rushed forward to hold the door open for her and Rebekah grinned as she walked out into the hall.

"Something like that." She replied as they took off down the hall. "I hate these bloody trials. All these bloody fools with all their bloody problems." Rebekah groaned with a roll of her eyes.

Stefan let out a laugh. "Isn't that part of being a leader? Solving problems."

"Well it isn't as easy as it sounds." Rebekah shot back.

He laughed again as they continued down the hall, people stepping out of their path as they approached. Over time Stefan had gotten used to that – the way people cleared a path whenever an original came down the hall.

"It couldn't have been that bad." He teased as they turned a corner and headed up the stairs.

"Oh but it was." She said with another huff.

As they continued their walk, Rebekah filled Stefan in on some of the more irritating cases she'd had to sit through that day. He listened attentively as she ranted and raved, inserting nods and sounds of agreement when necessary.

It wasn't until they reached the door to her room that Rebekah finished her long diatribe. She placed one hand on the knob before turning to face Stefan.

"Thanks for listening." She said lightly, leaning back against her door. "Though I haven't had a chance to hear about your day yet."

Stefan looked down at her with a grin. "Well if you invite me in, I can tell you all about it."

Rebekah's lips curled into a slow smirk and for a second Stefan thought she'd turn him away just for fun but instead Rebekah swung the door to her room open and sauntered in.

"Come on then." She tossed over her shoulder and Stefan followed her in, shutting the door behind him.

Rebekah strode over to a cabinet set up in the corner, pulling out a bottle of brandy and pouring two glasses.

"So, you think your day could top mine?" She asked teasingly as she sauntered back over to where Stefan stood in the middle of the room, handing him a glass.

Stefan gave a short laugh, lifting the glass to his lips and taking a sip of the drink. "That might be hard to do." He said after lowering his drink. "Though your brother was being kind of a dick earlier today."

"What'd Klaus do now?" Rebekah asked, rolling her eyes.

Stefan shook his head, his fingers drumming on the rim of the glass in his hand. "Not that brother."

Rebekah's brows furrowed and she threw him a confused look. "Elijah? What complaints could you have toward him?"

"Not a complaint, just…" Stefan trailed off, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

Rebekah arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "You can tell me Stefan. It's not like I'm going to run and tell my brother."

He matched her look with one of his own before letting out a sigh and telling Rebekah everything that had happened earlier.

"And since when do you care about sparing the wolves?" Rebekah asked, polishing off her drink.

"It's not the wolves I'm worried about." Stefan pointed out.

She sighed, turning to walk back over to the cabinet and placing her empty glass down. "Your men will be fine Stefan. And the ones that don't end up fine are weak. Elijah made the right call, you're just too kindhearted to see it."

"None of that matters. That isn't what I wanted to talk to you about." Stefan said and when Rebekah turned around, he was standing right there, pressing her back against the cabinet.

Her gaze drifted up from his chest to his eyes. "And what did you want to talk about?" She asked in a low voice.

Stefan lowered his glass to the cabinet behind her before propping both hands on the wood, trapping Rebekah between his arms.

"I think you know." He said softly, dipping his head to rub his lips against her ear. "I think you've known for a while now."

"Well I'm not very good at riddles." Rebekah replied in a breathless voice, tilting her head to give him better access and Stefan buried his face in her neck.

"This is an easy one." Stefan shot back, nipping lightly at the bottom of her earlobe.

Rebekah was about to respond when there was a knock at the door. Stefan froze, pulling his head back to throw her a questioning look.

"Ignore it." Rebekah said, lifting her hands to wrap her fingers in his hair.

He was about to do as she suggested when the knock came again, louder and harder this time.

Rebekah groaned, moving past Stefan and storming over to the door. She swung it open, the look on her face making it clear how she felt about the intrusion.

"You had better have a good reason for being here or I will tear your lung out through your mouth." She spat at the guard standing there.

The man shuddered for a moment before speaking. "Elijah's looking for you."

Rebekah let out a low huff, remembering how she'd summoned Klaus the same way earlier. Karma truly was a bitch.

* * *

Klaus hadn't calmed down any by the time he'd stormed out of the trials and back up to his room. In fact, his mood may have only gotten worse. It was the images playing through his mind over and over again. Images of Mikael accompanied by flashbacks of his youth – a time Klaus thought was long forgotten. It was the word dancing continuously through his mind– _bastard_.

He flung the door to his chambers open with more force than necessary and Klaus' eyes immediately went to Caroline who shot up into a sitting position on the couch.

"Finally." She groaned, standing from the couch.

Caroline took in his mood and fell quiet, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't say anything else, waiting for him to speak.

"You're still here." Klaus said, his voice dangerously low.

"You didn't leave me much of a choice." Caroline replied. The man she had come to know as her guard had stood outside the bedroom door the entire time, keeping her from leaving.

Klaus walked further into the room, not taking his eyes off of her. "Would you have stayed if I had given you choice?"

She watched him with cautious eyes before responding honestly. "No."

Of course she wouldn't, Klaus thought to himself. If given the choice, no one would ever put up with him. Not even his own family who saw Klaus for exactly what he was – a bastard. So why would Caroline be any different?

"Go then." He said, stepping aside and gesturing to the door. "Leave."

She eyed him for a moment as if not quite believing it would be that easy before stepping forward. Caroline brushed past him and strode toward the door. She had her hand on the knob when Klaus changed his mind.

This is why he didn't give people a choice. If he let people choose whether or not to stay by his side then Klaus would have no one because no one would willingly have him. Without thinking, he raced forward, cutting off Caroline's exist. She jumped back in surprise when he appeared in front of the door but Klaus didn't let her get far before wrapping both hands around her upper arms. He yanked Caroline back to him, sinking his teeth into her neck.

She let out a scream, her hands pounding and clawing at his back as Klaus attacked her neck. It wasn't until that moment that Caroline realized how delicate he'd been the other times he'd fed off of her. But this, this was the monster he truly was. Giving up on fighting, Caroline went limp in his arms and waited for him to finish. When Klaus pulled away, blood trailed down his chin and his eyes were blank. Caroline didn't say anything as she shoved past him and flung the door open. She took off, storming down the hall and ignoring her guard. If the man wanted to stop her he'd have to be willing to do some serious damage because Caroline wasn't going back in there without a fight.

The guard must have gotten some signal from Klaus because he made no move to stop Caroline and instead followed her down the hall. She could hear him right behind her as she stormed down the stairs and made her way back to the basement, a route she was familiar with by now. Her guard didn't disappear until Caroline had re-entered the servants' quarters, heading straight for her little hole in the wall.

It wasn't until she had dropped onto her tiny cot that Caroline reached a hand up to touch the wound at her neck. She sucked in a deep breath, her eyes hardening as she stared at the wall. She was actually grateful to Klaus for this wound. Caroline had become too complacent in their escape plans. This was exactly the reminder she needed. He was a monster just like the rest of them – probably the worst of them all. She needed out. And out was exactly what Caroline was going to get.

* * *

**So that's that. Thanks to all the amazing people who reviewed! And more thanks to betas Juliete and Katie. **


	4. Chapter 4

Lying motionless on her cot, Caroline blinked up at the ceiling as she counted her quiet heartbeats. The light strumming sounds of her own breath was all she could hear which meant the regular guards had already been switched out for the day guards. Still Caroline waited another five minutes, listening carefully for the sound of any returning footsteps. In those five minutes, she took 68 more deep breaths and then Caroline was swinging herself out of the bed. She crept quietly down the hall into the common area, glancing once toward the door before striding over to the row of tables. Looking up at the ceiling, Caroline quickly counted the tiles before her eyes landed on the one she had discovered was loose just a few days ago. Moving quietly, she hopped onto the table, her hands immediately lifting to push at the tile. A soft grating sound drifted through the room as Caroline moved the 2x2 tile aside, her eyes flitting from the door to the ceiling and back again. She peeked up once into the darkness before taking a deep breath and pulling herself up into the narrow space. Shifting the ceiling tile back into place, Caroline drew an X through the dust to mark her exit spot. She gave her eyesight a moment to adjust to the darkness before she started crawling through the passage.

Caroline thought back to the time she and her mom had been trapped in an underground tunnel for hours. Eventually Liz had led them to freedom, following the slightest hint of air flowing. This wasn't exactly the same as an underground tunnel but the concept held. Caroline turned all her senses on high alert as she followed the barest hint of fresh air through the otherwise stale ducts. She made a mental note of every turn she made, praying she wouldn't get lost in what was turning out to be an endless maze. Caroline lost track of time but she was certain she had spent hours wandering through the ceiling, turning back twice after running into dead ends. She was just getting ready to turn around and give up for the day when the slightest breeze danced across her arm, causing the hair on her skin to stand up. Crawling faster now, Caroline scurried through the vents chasing the breeze that came and went. The sight of a faint light in the distance was enough to have Caroline sighing in relief. She closed the distance in a matter of minutes, peeking outside the vent. The forest sat not too far away which put her at the back of the fortress. Caroline slid her fingers into the vent, struggling for a few moments before finally pushing the metal free. She crawled quickly through the space before pushing to her feet, a victorious smile on her face.

For a brief moment, Caroline let herself enjoy the feeling of the sun on her skin. It would be setting soon which meant she had to get back to her bed before all the worker bees started to rise for the evening. Her moment of rejoice was cut short by the sound of footsteps around the corner. Caroline's body tensed as she backed up against the wall, her eyes flitting to the open vent just a few inches above ground level. Fight or flight. She could try to make it back through the vent in time but if the guard rounded the corner before she could get all the way through and close it behind her, Caroline would be screwed. So fight it was.

She braced herself, her blood dancing with anticipation, as the footsteps drew closer and a guard rounded the corner.

"Hey-"

He'd barely gotten the word out before Caroline's leg went swinging through the air. The guard was faster than she had anticipated, catching her leg midair and using Caroline's momentum to throw her to the ground.

Caroline muttered a curse to herself, ignoring the pain that shot down her spine as she hit the ground. Palms pressed to the ground, Caroline flipped back into a standing position, going on the defense since the offense hadn't worked out too well for her. The guard shot her a nasty grin before his mouth shaped into an "O" and a gust of air came rushing out of the man.

"Fuck me." Caroline grumbled as the air elemental knocked her back with a burst of wind. She felt the floor rush up to meet her again and this time Caroline tried a different approach. Crouching on the ground she waited until the elemental drew close enough before swiping out her leg, knocking the guard off his feet. He was only down for a brief second but Caroline used that moment to jump back to her feet. The man opened his mouth again to release another gust of wind but before he could a roundhouse kick from Caroline knocked the air out of chest. He was still struggling to catch his breath again when Caroline ducked behind him, her arms wrapping around his neck in a chokehold. Her hold on his throat restricted the elemental's power and Caroline took advantage of this moment, lifting her leg to knee him twice in the back.

The guard let out a growl and a moment later Caroline felt herself flying through the air. The elemental reached behind him, grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked Caroline over him, sending her sailing through the air and slamming on the ground. Caroline groaned, curling onto her side as the guard repeatedly kicked her. A few feet away, something gleamed in the sunlight. She gritted her teeth against the pain, focusing on that abandoned glass bottle. It wasn't much in the way of a weapon but her options were pretty limited at the moment. On the fourth kick, Caroline caught the guard's foot in her hand and twisted, hearing the satisfying sound of his ankle snapping. Capitalizing on the guard's brief moment of immobility, Caroline scrambled over to the bottle, snatching it up and shattering it on the ground. She jumped to her feet again, hiding the largest piece of glass behind her back as she turned to face the guard. His face was red as he charged at her at full running speed. Caroline waited until he was a few feet away then ducked beneath his arm, moving quickly to stand behind him. The guard didn't have a chance to turn around before Caroline was on him. She wrapped an arm around his neck and slashed at his throat with the broken glass. Blood spurted out, coating her hands, but Caroline didn't let up, the blood thirst riding high in her veins. Kill or be killed. The guard had gone limp and dead in her arms but Caroline kept slashing. Moving one hand to his hair, she pulled at his head while slashing at his throat and a moment later the guard's headless body fell to the floor. She stood there for a moment, holding the head in her hand and still breathing heavily.

Caroline looked out in the distance and the realization that the sun was beginning to set hit her. Chances were, the guards would be changing soon and someone would be looking for their elemental friend. She dropped the head onto the body, looking around quickly. Caroline couldn't leave the body here; it would draw too much attention to her escape hatch. With a huff, Caroline bent and took both the guards arms in her hands. Standing again, she dragged the body along, moving closer to the corner the guard had come around. Poking her head quickly around the corner, Caroline made sure the coast was clear before dragging the body around the corner. Moving as quickly as she could, she dragged the body toward the nearby bushes. With another huff, Caroline let the body fall into the green shrubbery. Another quick glance around proved the area was still clear and Caroline bent at the knees, her hands going straight for the guard's pockets. Patting him down, she pulled out a small flashlight and a Swiss knife. Wasn't like he'd be using it now. She wiped the blood from her hands on his clothes before standing up straight again.

Caroline looked around before jogging back toward the building. She ducked around the corner and glided over to the still open vent. Glancing once more at the setting sun, Caroline crawled backward into the duct. She slid the metal vent back into place, pausing to make sure it was securely in there. Stashing the Swiss knife in her bra and turning on the flashlight, Caroline took off through the passageway again. With the added light and the benefit of knowing where she was going, Caroline backtracked much faster than it had taken her to get there. She used the time to contemplate their escape. There was still the issue of finding Elena but at least now Caroline knew a way out. They could run into some trouble with the guards but if she timed it right, they could make a run for the forest in broad daylight when the vampires wouldn't be able to pursue them.

Caroline was still plotting as she reached her marked ceiling tile. She froze, listening carefully for any sounds in the room below her. 70% sure that no one was there, Caroline lifted the tile and peeked down into the common area. With practiced agility, Caroline dropped out of the ceiling and down onto the table. She lifted her arms to pull the ceiling tile back into place, her eyes darting around the quiet room. With the tile back in place, Caroline turned to jump down from the table. She landed quietly on her feet but when Caroline spun back around, a girl was standing there. She froze, taking in the other girl and instantly wondering how long she had been there and how much she had seen.

"Well if it isn't little Miss Priss." The short brunette said scathingly, walking slowly forward.

Caroline released a soft sigh of relief. The girl apparently hadn't seen much. "I forgot where the bathroom was." She said, walking away from the table.

The girl stepped to the side again to block her path and Caroline just arched an eyebrow in her direction. "Can I help you?" She asked snidely.

"Yeah, you could not walk around here like you're better than the rest of us." The shorter girl snapped, glaring up at Caroline as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Caroline's eyes widened slightly in confusion as the girl carried on.

"You think you're hot shit because you're the hybrid's pet."

Caroline's eyes narrowed then - she didn't particularly enjoy being referred to as anyone's pet. Still she was silent as the girl continued to spew venom.

"You think you're too good for the rest of us?" The girl spat.

Caroline rolled her eyes. She hadn't exactly had a lot of time to socialize with the other captives while she'd spent the last few days dealing with Klaus and planning her escape. Caroline wasn't concerned about what the other workers thought of her - bigger fish to fry and all. But clearly this girl had taken offense. And speaking of the other worker bees, the sun must have already set because they began to filter out of their little curtained cells - an army of people dressed in the all black servants' uniform began to trickle into the common area. So much for slipping unnoticed back into her bed.

"I asked you a question." The brunette snapped, drawing Caroline's attention back to her.

"I'm going to decline to answer." Caroline said sardonically.

More people began to form a semicircle around the two girls and the brunette must have loved the audience because she got bolder, stepping closer to Caroline.

"You think you're the first little bitch to catch Klaus' wandering eye?" The girl spat with a venomous smile. "Another girl will come along and you'll be old news."

"And are you speaking from experience?" Caroline asked, her voice even and taunting. "Or is all this hatred coming from a place of envy. Watching girl after girl warm his bed while you go on nursing a wounded heart?" Of course Caroline hadn't been anywhere near Klaus' bed but she wasn't above mocking the girl.

The girl's eyes went from jeering and filled with outrage. "You little bitch."

As if in slow motion, Caroline saw the smaller girl's fist coming her way. She could have taken the hit and been fine - there wasn't even the slightest chance of the girl doing remotely any damage. But years and years of training were hard to ignore and Caroline reacted instinctively. Her hand shot out and curled around the girl's fist before it could reach her face. With her other hand, Caroline wrapped her fingers around the girl's forearm and pulled. There were two distinct sounds that followed. First, the popping sound of the girl's arm being tugged from its socket. Second, the bloodcurdling scream she let out as she fell to the floor, clutching her arm.

In the few seconds that followed, Caroline's eyes shot from the girl whimpering on the floor to the crowd that had formed around them, shocked stares fixed on Caroline. She spotted Jeremy in the crowd, shooting her a stare that clearly asked 'what now?'

"Uh," Caroline murmured beneath her breath, crouching down until she was at eye level with the girl on the floor.

Caroline leaned forward, reaching for the girl but the brunette scrambled backward on her ass, her arm hanging limply at her side. "Stay the fuck away from me." She said, her voice wavering in fear.

Caroline refrained from rolling her eyes, trying to shoot the girl a calming look. "I dislocated your shoulder. I need to pop it back in." She explained lightly.

That must not have sounded too pleasant to the girl because she shook her head no. "Don't fucking touch -"

The brunette didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because Caroline pounced forward, pressing one hand to the girl's shoulder and using the other to lift her dislocated arm up into a 90 degree angle. In less than a second, Caroline shoved the arm back into place and another shrill scream filled the room.

"You're fine." Caroline said with a huff, standing up straight again as the girl continued to roll on the floor. Caroline had been through this and much worse so she ignored the girl's dramatic screams, instead looking around at all the shocked and terrified stares thrown in her direction.

"Um," Caroline began but was spared from having to say anything else by the sound of the door opening. Her guard stood there, took in all the commotion and must have decided that he just didn't care. With two fingers, he gestured over to Caroline, beckoning her forward.

"I'm just going to," Caroline trailed off, pointing toward the door. She moved toward the door and the crowd parted quickly, people jumping to the side to get out of her way.

Jeremy caught her eye as she passed and Caroline just shrugged. What was done was done - at least the girl wouldn't need medical attention. She reached her guard and he led her out of the room, not bothering to ask what had happened. As always, he remained stony and silent as he led Caroline through the halls. She'd been so consumed by everything else this morning that Caroline hadn't had a moment to process having to see Klaus again so soon after yesterday's incident. Still she didn't let any of her anxiety show. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Before they could reach Klaus' chambers, another vampire in a guard uniform intercepted their path. Coming to a stop beside her guard, the man leaned in to whisper in the other vampire's ear. Her guard froze as the man spoke to him and Caroline watched them both with cautious eyes.

"What?" Her guard asked as the man leaned back.

"They found him in the bushes, his head was torn off." The man whispered and her guard let out a huff.

Caroline feigned a look of indifference, glancing carelessly up and down the hall. Her guard looked from her to the other man and back again.

"I can find my own way by now." Caroline pointed out to her guard. "By all means, go ahead." She said gesturing out with her hand.

"Straight there." Her guard said in a gruff voice, more words than he had spoken to her in days.

"Scout's honor." Caroline said, holding up her hand. She wasn't sure what it meant but her mom used to say it a lot.

Her guard threw her a final look before striding off down the hall alongside the other man. Caroline's lips curled into a sarcastic smile before she spun on her heel and took off down the hall. After yesterday, she was more than happy to make Klaus wait, strolling almost aimlessly down the halls. Caroline wasn't sure what she was looking for but she knew when she found it. She'd worked her way toward the east wing, the opposite direction of Klaus' chambers, and Caroline froze in her tracks at the sight of a woman sauntering down the hall. It was Elena...except Caroline knew instinctively that it wasn't Elena. Vicky had said the woman who had taken Elena had looked just like her but Caroline hadn't expected the resemblance to be so thorough. Caroline was still standing there stiffly as the woman breezed right past her. She knew it was the uniform that did it - it was like camouflage. Anyone she passed in the halls completely ignored Caroline since the black yoga wear labeled her as an unimportant servant.

She waited for the woman to pass before taking off down the hall again. Caroline walked down the hall, to the door closest to where the woman had appeared. She turned the knob, looking up and down the hall before ducking into the room. Taking a step forward, Caroline let out a sigh of relief as her eyes landed on Elena.

"Caroline?" Elena's voice went from confused to frantic as she shot up off the tiny bed in the corner. "No don't!" She ran toward Caroline but the door had already drifted closed behind her. Elena reached the door and hit it with one hand, her head banging against the wood. Caroline turned again to face the other girl, a look of confusion on her face.

"She had it spelled." Elena mumbled beneath her breath, her head still banging on the door. "Said it would be less obvious than guards hanging outside the door."

Caroline arched an eyebrow, throwing a look in the other girl's direction. "And by she you mean that woman who could be your twin that I just saw leave here?"

Elena let out a heavy sigh, finally lifting her head and turning around to lean back against the door. "Yes, Katherine." She growled. "She had a witch spell the door so no human can open it." Elena explained, reaching for the doorknob to prove her point. The moment she touched it, a shock went through Elena's system and she immediately let it go. "I'm trapped in here." She sighed. "And now so are you."

Well that wasn't entirely true, Caroline thought to herself. Elena still had no clue that Caroline wasn't quite human and if the other girl wasn't so frazzled she might have asked herself how Caroline had gotten into the room in the first place. But Caroline brushed over that for now, focusing on far more important matters.

"Jeremy's fine." Caroline started. She didn't get a chance to continue before Elena raced forward, closing the distance between them and stopping an inch away from Caroline's face.

"He's okay?" She asked, her eyes already watering in disbelief.

"Yes." Caroline nodded, not bothering to explain just how she had negotiated Jeremy out of his death penalty.

A split second later, Elena threw her arms around the other girl. "Thank you." She muttered into Caroline's shoulder, a moment away from sobbing in relief.

"I have a plan." Caroline whispered. "I'm going to get us all out of here."

Elena pulled back from the hug, shaking her head no. "It won't work. There's no getting me out of here."

"What?" Caroline asked, shooting the other girl a questioning look.

"I don't have time to explain." Elena said, thinking about everything Katherine had told her about Klaus and doppelgangers. She wasn't going to let Elena waltz right out of here but if she stayed put, Caroline and Jeremy might still have a shot at freedom. "You have to get Jeremy out. Promise me." Elena said, her voice hard.

"I'm getting you both out." Caroline replied.

Elena just shook her head again. She would be fine. As long as Jeremy got out alive, Elena would be fine. "Save Jeremy. Promise me Caroline."

Caroline didn't get a chance to respond when the door swung open again. Elena spun around to face the newcomer while Caroline searched for a believable lie to explain to the man what she was doing here.

"How'd you get in here?" Damon asked, looking the blonde servant up and down. The girl opened her mouth to respond but Damon shook his head no before cutting her off. "Actually, I don't care. Out. Now." He held the door open and gestured for the girl to leave.

Caroline jumped on the opportunity, racing toward the door. Over Damon's shoulder, she shot Elena a look before disappearing out into the hall. Damon let the door swing shut behind her, his gaze still trained on Elena.

Elena stood stiffly as she stared back at him. He held a brown paper bag in one hand and another plastic bag in the other. Damon shot her a slow grin and Elena's eyes narrowed in suspicion. He tossed her the brown paper bag and Elena caught it without turning her eyes away from his.

"Food." Damon said, nodding toward the bag in her arms as he sauntered further into the room. "Knowing Katherine, she's probably forgotten that she needs to feed you."

She had and it had been days since Elena had last eaten but that wasn't exactly an uncommon thing for her. Elena had gone days without eating in the past. It was a common occurrence outside of these palace walls and definitely a regularity outside of the city limits.

She continued to watch with wary eyes as Damon crossed the small room to take a seat in the lone chair, the only other furniture aside from the bed in the room. From the other plastic bag, he pulled out a bottle of some amber liquid and two small glasses. Placing the glasses on the floor, he filled each one halfway before picking one up and holding it out to Elena. She hesitated and Damon just shot her an impatient stare until Elena stepped forward to take the glass. Damon grinned that dangerous grin and Elena backed up toward the bed again, still holding the brown paper bag and the glass. Taking a seat on the bed, Elena lifted the glass to her lips, downing it in one swig before lowering the glass to the floor.

Damon arched an eyebrow in her direction, lifting his glass slowly to his lips as he spoke. "Most people would savor a glass of 80 year old whiskey but okay." He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink without ever tearing his eyes away from Elena's.

She cocked an eyebrow in return, shooting him a look that clearly said she didn't care. Opening the brown paper bag, Elena nearly moaned at the delicious scent that greeted her though she struggled to maintain an air of indifference. She pulled a piece of chicken from the bag and bit into it, having no regard for Damon sitting across the room and still watching her.

Damon scooted the chair forward until there was only a foot or two between them, leaning forward to refill Elena's glass still sitting on the floor. "You know, I know a lot of big men who couldn't down a glass of whiskey without flinching like you just did." He said conversationally.

Elena remained silent, staring at him with a disinterested look as she continued to eat.

"Not feeling particularly chatty today are we?" Damon asked, topping up his own glass.

Still no response from Elena.

Damon watched her contemplatively for another moment before speaking. "That's okay." His lips curled into that smug smirk again as Damon leaned back in his seat, propping both feet up on the bed beside Elena. "I've got time."

* * *

After leaving Elena's room, Caroline decided she had to make her way over to Klaus eventually. Better to get it over with already. She wound her way through the halls and up another flight of stairs before she reached his room. Swinging the door open, Caroline stepped inside and stood tensely as it closed behind her.

Klaus turned, prepared to behead anyone that invited themselves into his room without knocking but froze when his eyes landed on Caroline standing there. He struggled to keep his mind from racing back to yesterday's incident and focused instead on the present.

"I sent for you quite some time ago, what took so long?" Klaus asked, inching forward slowly.

"Does it matter?" Caroline asked, arching an eyebrow. "I'm here now."

He took a few steps forward, slowly closing the distance between them. "Yes, you are." Klaus' voice was low as he took her in, waiting for her to react.

"Don't." Caroline said lowly when Klaus was just a foot away from her. Surprising both her and himself, Klaus froze at her command.

Caroline eyed him once before stepping around Klaus and walking deeper into the room. He turned slowly to watch her walk toward the table where a bottle of scotch and a few glasses sat. Caroline picked up one of the glasses, twirling it idly in her hand for a moment before pressing it to her left wrist. Klaus watched tensely as she dug the glass into her wrist until it broke the skin and blood started to trickle out. She tore further into the vein until the blood started to flow faster. Holding the glass straight up again, Caroline held her wrist above it and watched the blood spill in. When the glass was halfway full, she pulled her wrist away, turning and holding the glass out to Klaus with an expectant stare.

Klaus let out a low sigh, crossing the room slowly until he was standing in front of her again. He took the glass and set it back on the table, eyes still locked on Caroline. Klaus' fangs dropped and she flinched - the barest tremble that flooded Klaus with shame all over again. Caroline had been an array of things in his presence but she had never been afraid of him. Not until he'd acted like an animal. He swallowed back another sigh as he lifted his own wrist to his lowered fangs. Klaus tore his wrist open and moved to offer it to Caroline. She leaned back, shooting him a distrusting stare.

Klaus sighed again, now in frustration. "Let me heal you." He said, the annoyance clear in his voice.

"No thanks." Caroline spat, already moving to walk past him and toward the door.

Klaus rolled her eyes. She was stubborn but she had also just maimed herself before his very eyes and Klaus felt the oddest obligation to heal her.

"I don't want to force it down your throat." Klaus said as he turned around again to face her and trying to keep his voice gentle despite his words.

"Then don't!" Caroline snapped, spinning around to face him again.

There was silence for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm fine." Her voice was cold and hard as she hid her injured wrist behind her back. "And there's your lunch." She gestured with her other hand toward the glass of blood still sitting on the table. "So, I'm going to go now." Caroline finished, already turning back toward the door.

Klaus let out another frustrated growl, darting forward to block Caroline's exit. She jumped a little, scrambling backward to get away from him. Klaus felt the self-disgust hit him again times ten. He'd destroyed whatever little trust she'd had in him and now Caroline was barely a step above skittish. Klaus didn't blame her. He had no delusions about where the blame belonged and it was squarely on his shoulders. He'd made a mistake and while normally forgiveness wasn't something Klaus ever sought, he found himself desperate to earn Caroline's.

"That isn't why I sent for you." He explained and Caroline shot him a questioning stare. Klaus opened the door and motioned for Caroline to move forward. "Come on, I have something to show you." He said, waiting for her to move.

Caroline stood stock still for a moment longer, watching him with suspicious eyes. Klaus cocked his head expectantly, the slightest hint of a challenge in his gaze. It was that challenge that Caroline responded to, holding her head high as she strode forward and breezed right past him.

Klaus indulged himself with a small smile, following Caroline out of the room. She remained coldly silent as Klaus led her down the hall. He opened and closed his mouth multiple times, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. Klaus had never been good with apologies, probably because he'd never tried to offer one before.

Klaus came to a stop in front of a room, swinging the door open and gesturing for Caroline to go in. Shooting him a lingering look, she walked in, taking in the small room with a bed in the middle, a nightstand beside it and a tall shelf off to the corner that held what she assumed were decorative artifacts. She turned to face Klaus who had already shut the door behind them.

"What is this?" She asked, her tone still cold and annoyed.

"It's your new room." Klaus replied, gesturing out to the room and waiting for the elated reaction he'd been expecting. It never came. Instead Caroline's face fell.

No. _No_, _no_. No, no, **no. **While she maintained a calm façade, Caroline panicked on the inside. She was finally making some headway in her escape plan and this was a twist she did not need.

Schooling her face back into one of impassivity, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't want it."

Klaus' brows furrowed in confusion. "What?" He asked, wondering if he had misheard.

"I don't want it." Caroline repeated slower now, walking closer to Klaus until she was glaring up at him. "If this is your way of making amends for taking a lion sized bite out of my neck then you can take your apology and shove it up your-"

"Careful love," Klaus cut her off, closing the remaining distance between them and matching her glare with a scowl of his own, "my kindness is not infinite."

"I didn't ask for your kindness." She shot back, her eyes still piercing his.

Klaus let out a low growl. "You don't want my cruelty."

"I think I've already had it." Caroline spat back, tossing her hair over her shoulder so the faded mark on her neck was visible.

Klaus sucked in a low breath, his eyes flitting from the mark to her eyes and back again. Instinctively Klaus' hand lifted to brush against the scar but before his fingers could touch her skin Caroline slapped his hand away.

He snarled at her but Caroline didn't flinch, her eyes boiling with rage.

"You're staying here. End of discussion." Klaus growled out, spinning on his heel and striding out the door.

The door slammed shut and a few moments of silence passed before Caroline's yell filled the room. She stormed across the room, picking up the nightstand and flinging it across the room. It had barely crashed to the floor before Caroline was spinning around and attacking the wooden shelf. She knocked it over, still screaming as she kicked repeatedly at it. Spotting the broken nightstand on the floor, Caroline picked it up again before exerting a fair deal of strength slamming it back down against the ground. It broke into smaller pieces and Caroline turned to attack the shelf again. She didn't stop until the sound of the door opening had her whirling around again.

Breathing heavily now, Caroline swiped the hair away from her eyes and glared over at the man in the doorway. Her guard.

Caroline let out a humorless laugh. "Of course you're here." She said, gesturing out to him with one hand.

He shot Caroline a look, glanced once around the trashed room and shut the door again – disappearing from sight and leaving Caroline alone with her rage.

* * *

Klaus wasn't faring much better with getting a handle on his outrage. Here he was offering the olive branch, attempting to make amends for the first time in his life, and she spat it back in his face. There was no gratitude, no forgiveness – and Klaus found that positively infuriating. What was worse was that he wasn't quite sure why he let it upset him so much.

Klaus was storming down the halls with no particular destination in mind when Rebekah appeared, falling into step beside him.

"I'm in no mood, Rebekah." He said harshly, not slowing his pace.

She rolled her eyes, stepping in front of him and forcing Klaus to a halt. "If I waited for you to be in a decent mood then things would rarely get done."

Klaus ignored her comment, still internally (and by the looks of it externally) seething. He stepped to the right but Rebekah followed. A step back to the left and she blocked him again.

"What is it?" Klaus spoke slowly, clasping his hands behind his back to keep from snapping his sister's neck.

"So glad you asked." Rebekah said, her lips curling into a sarcastically sweet smile. "It's the fae."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Whatever little interest I had in this conversation just evaporated." He said, already moving to step around Rebekah. Again she intercepted his path, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I could do this all day." She said snidely.

Again Klaus swallowed back the urge to inflict bodily harm, gesturing for Rebekah to continue.

"They're at it again with their light/dark bullshit. What started out as an argument between two fae has evolved into a full blown battle in the French Quarter that's been going on for" she glanced down at her watch, "thirty-six hours."

Klaus rolled his eyes again, fae killing fae was nothing new. "And why is this my problem?"

"It's **our **problem because Elijah believes, and I agree, that if we don't squash this now both sides might start to get the wrong impression about their standing in this city. One of us has to go issue a friendly reminder." The way she said the word friendly suggested it would be anything but. "Now since Elijah has enough on his plate, I'm nominating you." Rebekah said, fixing him with that same mocking grin.

Crushing a fae skirmish in the French Quarter wasn't something Klaus was interested in doing today – or any day for that matter. "And why can't you do it?" Klaus asked, his annoyance clear in his tone.

"Because these are new shoes and bloodstains don't wash out easy." She shot back, placing both hands on her hips.

"Shall we flip a coin for it then?" Klaus asked, not caring in the least about Rebekah's shoes.

Rebekah's eyes flitted to something behind Klaus for a moment before she caught his gaze again, a wicked smile on her lips. "I have a better idea."

Klaus waited impatiently for her to explain.

"How about a hunt to decide who takes on the task?" Rebekah asked with a smirk.

Klaus' brows rose in interest. This was a game they hadn't bothered to play in years. Before Klaus could respond, a servant carrying sheets moved to walk past them. Rebekah's hand shot out to grab the lean male by his forearm, tugging him to a halt and stepping closer to him in one swift movement.

Rebekah stroked his arm teasingly as she compelled the man. "You're going to run now." She said slowly and softly. "You're going to run until you find the best hiding place in this whole compound."

The man just nodded and when Rebekah released his arm, the servant took off.

"Now," Rebekah said, turning back to her brother. "While we wait, are you going to enlighten me as to what has your knickers in a twist?"

"You mean aside from you bothering me with this problem?" Klaus shot back.

She let out a tinkling laugh, one designed to get under his skin. "Win the hunt and it won't be your problem to solve." Rebekah said, taking a step closer to him. "Though I think whatever has you so upset is toying with your skills, Nik." She said slowly, intentionally taunting him.

Angry as he was, Klaus wouldn't allow himself to fall for Rebekah's manipulations. So he swallowed his rage and curled his lips into a smirk. "Once second best, always second best." Rebekah might have suggested the game but Klaus created it and he had a track record for winning it.

"We'll see." Rebekah said, still fixing him with that smug smirk.

They waited another five minutes, spent taunting each other and then the two siblings took off to hunt down their designated target. Normally a hunt of any kind, big or small, was enough to hold Klaus' attention but the minute Rebekah disappeared she ceased to be a distraction and his mind went right back to Caroline. What was she doing? Had she calmed down? What would it take to earn her forgiveness for last night's minor indiscretion? Rebekah had been right and his focus on Caroline affected Klaus' ability to play the game.

He sped into one of the first floor parlors ten minutes later to find Rebekah already there. She sat in a chair licking the blood from her fingertips while the limp and cold body of the servant lay at her feet.

"Second place looks good on you brother." Rebekah stood from her chair with a smirk and was standing in front of him a millisecond later. "Show them who's boss." Her voice was mocking as she tapped Klaus on the shoulder before exiting the parlor.

He stood there for a moment, cursing the fucking fae. It wasn't easy being king.

* * *

By the time he returned to Caroline's room hours later, Klaus had managed to get somewhat of a handle on his anger. Of course it helped that he'd worked out a lot of that anger in the French Quarter. Klaus ought to thank Rebekah – all that killing had been therapeutic. Probably not the diplomatic resolution Elijah would have hoped for but therapeutic nonetheless. He let himself into the room without so much as a knock, halting to take in the destruction. Klaus glanced around at the broken furniture before his eyes landed on Caroline sitting calmly on the bed. He arched one eyebrow and gestured around the room with one hand in a wordless question.

Caroline only shrugged, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. "Well you insisted on caging me in here like an animal so I figured I'd humor you and play the part." She shot him a sarcastic grin. Of course, behaving like an animal wasn't her sole purpose in wrecking the room. Caroline's mind worked fast so it hadn't taken her all that long to see the weapon potential in that simple wooden nightstand. She knew a destructive tantrum would provide sufficient cover for the two missing legs of the nightstand that she had already hidden away beneath her bed. Whittling them into useable stakes would take some work but it was a start. With all the wreckage in the room, Klaus would be none the wiser to the missing pieces. And of course there was the added benefit of blowing off steam.

"You're not an animal Caroline." Klaus said, crouching at the knees to pick up the shattered remains of an antique vase that had formerly sat on the now annihilated shelf. "And this isn't a cage." He stood up again, letting the bits of ceramic fall back to the floor in a clatter.

"Could have fooled me." Caroline shot back sarcastically. "I think 'animal' is the apt word for it considering how you vampires love to keep your pets."

Klaus strolled forward, stopping a foot away from where she stood. "I'm not most vampires." He said with a slow smirk.

"No," Caroline replied swiftly, "you're worse."

"I don't keep pets Caroline." Klaus said, almost smugly. It was true enough – he'd never been interested enough in any human to keep them as a pet and a sole source of feeding. Klaus rather enjoyed variety. Though as of late, he only had a taste for Caroline.

"You're keeping me." She pointed out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Not as a pet." She arched an eyebrow at him and he just continued, grinning that infuriating grin. "As a friend."

"I have enough friends." Caroline shot back.

"You can never have enough friends." Klaus responded but didn't give her a chance to reply again before he carried on. "You must be hungry."

In fact she was but Caroline didn't admit that out loud, instead watching Klaus stride back over to the door. He swung it open, gesturing out with one hand, and a moment later a man walked in carrying a small round table. Caroline watched on in confusion as that man was followed by another carrying two chairs and a final man who laid out a tablecloth before placing a covered plate on it. All three did a phenomenal job of ignoring the mess she had made and all three disappeared without uttering a word.

Klaus shut the door again before crossing the room to take a seat at the table and gestured to the chair across from him. Caroline's gaze darted from him to the plate and back again.

"Well it isn't poisoned." Klaus teased, lifting the cover from the plate.

Caroline might have held out longer but once the cover was lifted, she was hit with an unfamiliar and mouth-watering scent. She inched closer to the table, eyeing the thick slab of meat that sat surrounded by leafy veggies. Caroline and her mother lived off of whatever they could catch and kill but they had never caught anything that looked like this.

"It's duck." Klaus explained, noting Caroline's curiosity and using it to reel her further in. "It used to be considered a delicacy. Long before your time." He continued. It was ironic that the finest meals prepared within these walls went to vampires who ate for fun and not for sustenance. The woman who ran the servants' quarters kept them all on a rather strict diet - their blood tended to taste better when they weren't filling up on fatty acids and the like. But that wasn't a problem Klaus expected to have with Caroline - her blood would no doubt taste as sweet regardless of what she ate.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him but the grumbling of her stomach had her taking a seat in front of the plate. As she lifted her hands to pick up the fork and knife, Klaus got a good look at her wrist. She'd cut it open just a few hours ago but the skin had already stitched itself closed and the scar had already begun to fade like the one at her neck. Klaus' head cocked slightly to the side as he stared at her wrist, his brows furrowing as he remembered how she'd scrapped the glass across it. A wound like that should have needed stitches to heal and most certainly wouldn't have closed on its own so quickly. That's why she had been so adamant about not letting him heal her. Caroline appeared to have a capacity for healing that went far beyond that of a human.

Not human. The thought danced around Klaus' head. That would certainly be an interesting twist to his little enigma. Except, Klaus had an encyclopedia-like knowledge of all supernatural beings and Caroline didn't fit a single one. His eyes went back to her wrist and that faded bruise. Perhaps she was just a fast healing human. Perhaps not. Klaus didn't dwell on it for much longer as Caroline's hand lifted the fork to her lips and pulled his attention to that sumptuous mouth. Those lips incited a reaction in Klaus he hadn't felt in centuries, if ever. He briefly contemplated giving in to the urge to lean across the table and find out what those plush pink lips tasted like but Klaus knew if he did that she would most likely haul of and punch him, probably hurting herself in the process. Still he smiled - all in due time.

"What are you smiling about?" Caroline asked, narrowing her eyes at him again as she lowered her fork.

"You," Klaus replied without hesitation, his smile curving into a smirk, "and the inevitability of us."

Caroline arched an eyebrow at him, taking another bite before speaking. "You're irrationally confident."  
Klaus shrugged. She was most likely right about the irrational part. Nothing about his reactions to Caroline was rational. Still he replied, "not just confident. Determined."

"Oh well in that case..." Caroline said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

Klaus just laughed. "Faith, Caroline, faith."

* * *

A moment of solitude was often hard to come by in his life so Elijah lounged back in his chair, savoring the quiet stillness of the office. Though his pose was relaxed, Elijah's mind raced endlessly. Something wasn't right. He wasn't sure what but something was off within the walls of The Cathedral. Elijah fixed problems, it's what he did best - but not quite knowing what the problem was. That was a new sensation for him and not one he was enjoying. Wrapped up in his thoughts, Elijah didn't notice the footsteps approaching the office. No knock sounded before the door was flung open.

Very few people entered this office without an invitation so Elijah kept his pace unhurried as he spun the chair around to face the door again. Rebekah sauntered in, a short, dazed brunette following behind her.

She came to a stop in the middle of the room, looking over at her brother. "I thought you'd want to join me for dinner." Rebekah reached behind her and pulled the brunette forward.

Elijah threw his sister a small smile, standing up and walking around the desk. He strode over to the brunette, placing both hands on her shoulders and leaning over to lock eyes with her. "Return to the base." Elijah's voice was stern and the girl just nodded, staring back at him with blank eyes before turning and walking out of the office.

"You're no fun." Rebekah said, crossing her arms over her chest and crinkling her nose.  
Elijah gave a short laugh, shaking his head as he crossed the room to lean back against the desk. "I wanted to talk to you without the audience."

"About what?" Rebekah asked, sauntering forward to take a seat on one of the two chairs facing the desk.

Elijah paused for a moment and Rebekah shot him an impatient look before he finally spoke.

"Something's wrong." He explained, letting out a low huff.

"What is?" Rebekah asked, sitting up straighter in the chair.

"I don't know." Elijah replied with a slight shake of his head. "But something is off. I can sense it."

Rebekah shot him a skeptical look. "Sense it?"

Elijah didn't respond, holding Rebekah's stare with one of her own.

"Look," Rebekah said, leaning forward and placing a hand on Elijah's knee. "We get enough real and tangible problems without fabricating ones that aren't there. Not everyone is out to get us."

Elijah cocked an eyebrow, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared down at sister. "Do you know how history's longest standing rulers lasted so long in power?" He asked rhetorically. "By always believing everyone was out to get them." Elijah said as he stood up straight again and circled around the desk to drop back into his chair.

Rebekah rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she stood up. "Whatever you say brother." She strolled over to the door, opening it and nearly stepping out before she spun on her heel to face her brother again. "Do you ever leave this office?" She asked, gesturing to the elegant albeit sparse room. Elijah didn't respond and Rebekah just tsk'ed before continuing. "What is the point of all this power if you can't enjoy it?" Rebekah said before turning again, disappearing out the door and shutting it behind her again.

Elijah shook his head at his sister's words. He'd enjoy his power just as soon as he figured out who or what was threatening it. Rebekah might be able to brush it off with ease but Elijah was certain that something was off.

* * *

Despite their ups and downs (or perhaps because of them), Damon knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that no one knew his brother like he did. Which is how Damon knew just where to find Stefan, hiding out on one of the fourth floor balconies. His brother didn't so much as turn around as Damon walked out onto the balcony, dropping into the empty seat beside Stefan's. He could practically smell the depression and remorse wafting off of the other vampire.

"What are we drinking to?" Damon asked, lifting one of the empty glass and snatching the bottle from Stefan to fill it.

A long moment of silence passed as Damon poured before Stefan finally spoke. "To good men." He said, polishing off his drink before pouring himself another one.

"The raid?" Damon asked, taking a sip from his glass.

Stefan didn't respond, his mind already racing back to earlier in the evening. Under Elijah's orders, he'd taken his troops through the forest and attacked one of the smaller wolf compounds just across the border. His group had suffered some losses but it was nothing compared to what the werewolves suffered. Even now, all Stefan could see was blood splayed on walls and limbs littering the floor. He wasn't sure who he hated more - Elijah for putting him in that position or himself for enjoying it so much. Because Stefan **had** enjoyed it. The ripper in him had surfaced and relished in the bloodshed. And now he sat out here, hoping to drown the monster in alcohol.

Damon was well aware of his brother's constant struggle between the ripper he was and the man he wanted to be. The ripper had been a part of Stefan from the moment he'd been made a vampire but it was the Mikaelsons that harnessed that monster, pulling it out when they needed it to do their bidding and leaving Stefan to pick up the pieces afterward. But not for much longer - not if Damon had anything to do with it.

"All in due time brother." He said, putting a hand on Stefan's shoulder. "All in due time."

Stefan scoffed, making his doubt rather clear. But that was fine, Damon had enough faith for them both.

"To us." He said, topping up Stefan's glass before filling his own.

Stefan just looked at him, lifting the glass as he locked eyes with his brother. "To us."

* * *

"Are you saying you don't think I could take down a chimera?"

Klaus took in Caroline's mildly offended look and couldn't keep from smiling. "I'm saying they're rather resilient creatures."

Caroline sat back in her seat, her feet propped on the chair beneath her and her knees pressed up against her chest. Her fingers drummed lightly on her knees as she threw him a look across the table.

"Yeah well, I'm surprisingly strong."

"I don't find that surprising at all." Klaus said nonchalantly. "I find many things about you surprising Caroline, but that you're strong is not one of them. You wear your strength like a second skin."

Caroline opened her mouth to make a snide comment but found herself saying, "thanks. I guess." She caught the complacence in her tone and quickly said, "Though flattery won't make your company any more tolerable."

"It isn't flattery if it's true."

"So you admit I could take down a chimera?"

Klaus laughed again. "I don't doubt for a second that you would try." That brought a smile to Caroline's lips and it was enough to freeze Klaus in his seat. It was the barest hint of a smile but it was still the first genuine smile he'd seen cross her face. That he had been the cause of that smile made it that much sweeter. Klaus almost allowed himself to believe that he was making progress with Caroline - at the very least she must hate him a little less than she had a few hours ago.

After finishing her meal and realizing he wasn't going anywhere, Caroline had finally indulged him in a bit of conversation. It hadn't taken Klaus long to deduce her rather fervent interest in the supernatural. She seemed to know a fair deal more than Klaus would expect of the average human but Caroline still had so many questions. There had been a brief moment when Klaus considered the possibility that she was a member of the Human Coalition after all (it would explain her knowledge, limited as it was) but he quickly brushed away the thought. Klaus couldn't see Caroline serving some grander organization - she seemed like the type to serve herself, doing only and exactly what she wanted to do. They had that in common. So Klaus answered all her question, honestly and thoroughly. Which is how they came to be talking about chimeras – a beast part lion, part goat and part snake that breathed fire.

Caroline's voice pulled him from his musings. "The sun will be up soon. Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"Benefit of my age, I don't need to sleep when the sun is up. Only avoid its rays." Klaus explained.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Well that's not a trait we share. I, for one, need sleep."

"Trying to get rid of me Caroline?" He teased with a smile.

"Only since you showed up." Caroline shot back, dropping her feet back to the floor.

Klaus laughed again, leaning across the table and closer to Caroline. "Then indulge me in one last thing."

She cocked an eyebrow waiting for him to explain but Klaus only grinned, standing up from his seat and holding a hand out to her.

Caroline glanced from Klaus gaze' down to his outstretched hand and back again.

"If I was going to lead you to the slaughter I would have done it already." Klaus said mockingly, his hand still outstretched.

"Wolf in sheep's clothing." Caroline shot back, standing up but ignoring Klaus' outstretched hand.

She walked toward the door before throwing him an impatient look over her shoulder. "Well..." Caroline said expectantly.

Klaus grinned in her direction, shaking his head as he sauntered across the room to join her.  
Curiosity ate at Caroline as Klaus led her out of her room and down the hall. As she'd pointed out to him moments before, the sun was rising and with it most vampires were heading off to bed. Still there were a few left lingering in the halls and Caroline didn't miss the stares that she and Klaus elicited as they walked down the hall. She stared back at a few of them but for the most part Caroline ignored them, focusing more on where Klaus was taking her. He'd been rather obvious in his attempts to make amends and Caroline was smart enough to know he'd be of more use to her if she at least pretended to forgive him. That she may have actually been enjoying herself was a fact that Caroline shoved to the very back of her mind.

Klaus led Caroline down two flights of stairs before dragging her down another hall and Caroline was getting ready to demand to know where they were going when he stopped in front of an ornate wooden door.

"After you love." Klaus said with a grin, holding the door open for her.

Caroline stepped inside and tried to hide her awe. Moving further into the room, Caroline spun around, taking in the large library. Bookshelves spanned almost as high as the ceiling.

"Knowledge is power." Klaus said, watching Caroline's face as she took in the room. He followed closely behind her as she advanced toward the nearest shelf. "A vast library was important to Elijah."

"But not to you?" Caroline asked, throwing him a questioning look over her shoulder at him.

Klaus shrugged. "Not as important as other things." The library might be one of Elijah's favorite rooms but Klaus much preferred, say, the dungeons where he got to enact punishment and enjoy himself simultaneously.

"Well what did you want to show me?" Caroline asked, spinning back around to face him.

"Impatient are we?" Klaus teased.

Caroline didn't verbally respond, shooting him an expectant look.

Shaking his head with a laugh, Klaus dashed across the room in a flash and reappeared in front of Caroline with a thick book the length of her forearm.

"What is this?" She asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of her voice.

Klaus handed the book to her and Caroline's finger immediately traced over the elegantly scripted title. _A History of Supernatural Beings_. She stared at the book for a moment before Caroline brought her eyes back to Klaus' throwing him another questioning stare.

"For all the questions I can't answer." Klaus explained with a grin.

Caroline looked back down at the book, flipping the cover open to finger the antique-like pages. "Thank you." She found herself whispering. Caroline's mind was already racing. Maybe there was something about Valkyries in this book. She was no closer to understanding herself than she'd been years ago and this book could potentially answer some of her questions.

Her head remained bent as Caroline scanned the pages and Klaus couldn't help himself. He gave into the urge to run his fingers through that waterfall of hair, tucking it back behind her ear. Caroline's head snapped up, her eyes going straight to his. But she didn't slap his hand away and Klaus decided to make the most of it - he'd touch her for as long as she let him. His fingers trailed down her exposed neck, pausing on the mark his vicious bite had left behind.

"Let me finish healing you." His voice was low, his fingers still caressing that spot.

"It's fine." Caroline said, shaking her head so her hair fell forward again to cover the mark.

"It'll scar." Klaus pointed out, trying to reason with her. The last thing he wanted was for an ugly scar to mar her otherwise perfect skin. A scar he'd created. A scar she would constantly see and be reminded of his cruelty. And, selfishly, Klaus didn't want to have to see the scar. He didn't want to be constantly reminded of his own brutality, of his mistakes.

Caroline didn't say anything, her eyes boring into his as though she was trying to read something there.  
Her silence wasn't consent but it wasn't a refusal either so Klaus lifted his wrist to his mouth, dropping his fangs and biting into his veins. Retracting his fangs, Klaus held his wrist out to Caroline, waiting for her to make the choice. Her eyes flitted from his face, down to his wrist and back again. Then her mouth moved forward and her lips locked around his wrist. The feeling was nothing short of euphoric. Klaus had a hard time imagining anything better than those soft lips brushing against his skin. Then Caroline began to suck and Klaus proved himself wrong because there was something better - so much better. Her lips tinted red as she sucked lightly at his open vein and Klaus felt himself harden in his jeans. Warm fingers wrapped around his wrist as Caroline held his wrist in place. A growl rumbled up in his throat and Klaus fisted his free hand at his side to keep from driving it into her hair. He exhausted centuries' worth of restraint swallowing back the animal in him that wanted to pounce. All too quickly, Caroline freed his wrist from her grip, pulling her mouth away and taking a step back. Her usually pink lips were stained red with his blood and the sight was almost enough to drive Klaus into a frenzy. He'd heard whispers about the power of blood sharing but Klaus had never come close to imagining it could be like this.  
Caroline glanced down at her wrist to see the wound from earlier had faded entirely. She pushed her hair back over her shoulder, looking up at Klaus. "How does it look?" She asked, tilting her head to expose her neck to him.

The scar was gone but with her neck bared to him like that, Klaus swallowed back the urge to mark it all over again. Not the way it had been - something sweeter, gentler. He'd suck at that elegant neck, nipping lightly at it until he left behind a tiny mark - one that would stamp her as undeniably his. Because she was. Caroline didn't know it yet but she was his.

"Well?" She asked, pulling Klaus from his daze.

Klaus cleared his throat before speaking, clasping his hands behind his back to keep them to himself. "All clear."

Caroline fixed those blue eyes on him and Klaus felt a fraction of his control return.

"You probably need to rest." His voice was husky but far more controlled than Klaus had expected.

Caroline nodded, holding the book against her chest as he led her out of the library and back up to her room. She saw her guard had returned to his spot in front of her door but Caroline ignored him, swinging the door open before coming to a halt. Her brows furrowed as she took in the room. While they'd been gone, the wreckage had been cleared away and a new shelf and nightstand took the places of their old counterparts.

Caroline turned to throw Klaus a look and he just shrugged.

"Well, bye." Caroline said, already preparing to close the door in his face.

Klaus placed a hand on the door, holding it open as he stared down at her. After careful contemplation on what to say, he finally went with "goodnight Caroline."

"I think you mean good morning." She said, shooting him a sarcastic look.

Klaus just grinned and for the second time that day Caroline gave him the tiniest of smiles. Without realizing it, he was already keeping count.

"Bye, Klaus." Caroline repeated, not giving him a chance to say anything else before shutting the door.

Walking over to the bed, Caroline laid the book down on the nightstand before dropping to her knees. She felt around beneath her mattress and breathed a sigh of relief to find the wood she'd stashed still safely hidden away. Pulling out the two legs of the old nightstand, Caroline looked around the room for a sharp edge. Sparse as the room was, the corner of the bed would have to do. She sat cross legged, her back to the door in case her guard decided to pop his head in. Picking up the first piece of wood, Caroline tossed it back and forth in her hand before pressing the top along the railing of the bed. Back and forth, back and forth she sawed, watching as the tip grew slightly pointier.

Her mother had always taught Caroline to be prepared for changing circumstances and every day she spent trapped within these walls, Caroline was met with some changing circumstance. She blew the loose wood shavings from the top of the makeshift stake and brushed the chippings under the bed. Circumstances around her might keep changing but Caroline was nothing if not adaptable.

* * *

**Filler-y chapter. I just want to get where I'm going, ya feel me?**


End file.
